Anushka Shetty Retrospective: Billa (2009)

She is a baddie

Telugu “Billa”, directed by Meher Ramesh, is another iteration of the popular 1978 Hindi thriller “Don”, which was recently remade in Hindi in 2006. “Billa” sticks to the 1978 plot points, meaning the villain, Don, doesn’t survive in the end, which I prefer to the 2006 Hindi plot twist.

To be honest, I did not enjoy this film much. Maybe the faded-out YouTube version I watched just wasn’t as visually arresting as the original copy probably would be. The movie heavily rests upon depicting foreign locations, action scenes, and fancy gadgets; in a sense, some world-building is present. Taking the sheen off because of bad picture quality is bound to result in an underwhelming experience.

The cult of modern infrastructure

Indeed, the first thing that struck me was the obscene amount of “infrastructure p*rn”: the camera loves the high-rise glass buildings of Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, its white, hanging bridges and helipads, the straight, shiny asphalt roads. It also loves heavy equipment like cars, helicopters, huge guns; anything made from hard, dark, reflecting metal.

Despite the overwhelming display of overseas modernity, its Indian heart is still in place, embedded in small visual reminders. The final fight scene is a good example; while our hero fights the villain under a massive helicopter, his punches are surely enough those of a traditional Tollywood star, nothing fancy or modern in the way he beats down his enemy.

In other instances, the cult of shiny, metallic economic development is interrupted: part of the plot takes place in Malaysia’s Batu Caves, where a massive statue of the god Murugan towers over the site, establishing a firm connection to the motherland; Ranga’s introduction song “Hariloranga Hari” is a vibrant, warm-colored festival that contrasts the visual language of the rest of the film, bringing in the necessary relaxed vibes and acts as a reminder of the real India.

Death and Destruction have a female form

Fitting well with “Billa”s themes, Anushka’s presence in the film as a female heroine is quite boundary-breaking. Usually, women are represented as a connection to tradition and country, clad in sarees or other Indian clothing, soft reminders of family and life back home. Her leather-clad, stiletto-wearing, threatening character is nowhere near that stereotype. Anushka is a proper femme fatale in “Billa”: solemn, dark, mysterious, and deadly. She carries a gun and shoots at will, hardly utters any dialogue, and all her clothes are some shade of black. She is more associated with death and destruction than romance or nurture.

Source: iDream Media YouTube Channel | Billa

There are occasional hiccups in this setup of course, serving commercial and “hotness” purposes, I suppose, like the song “Bommali”. The fun, vivid visual language here is in contrast with the rest of her character’s depiction, but I guess, we all need a break…

Verdict

So, “Billa”, for me, was a missing piece of the puzzle that is Anushka’s earlier filmography. It was a big hit, one of the projects that established her and made her a well-known star in Tollywood. I felt compelled to watch it. What I appreciated is the break with traditional Telugu heroines her character represents. But overall, I didn’t find it as entertaining as her earlier films, for example, “Lakshyam”. But do let me know if I haven’t appreciated it as I should.