Billa(2009)

I sorta want to watch this, even though I'm not a Prabhas fan, just to see how it compares to the 2007 Tamil version. The trailer looks pretty cool, and I like the picturisation of the "Bommali" song. I'm sure it will have a huge, or at least decent, opening, and it may even be a hit. **shrug** Who knows?

ETA 06/22/09: I feel a strong urge to pay full price for the DVD instead of waiting for it to land in the $5.99 pile. I blame my itchy fingers on the YouTube clips of Anushka. Not only did they ping my interest, they also made me seek out the whole movie. It's a near scene-by-scene rehash of the Tamil version, but with more stuff added. "Over-the-top" is the best description I can come up with right now, and I mean that in a good way.

Somebody hold me because I find Prabhas hot. I don't know if it's the shades or the gratuitous shots of his naked torso, but I actually feel something. Like, I sense myself wanting to become a fangirl and rewatch Munna and Yogi. It's downright scary.

Even Hansika Motwani appeals to me(although, I still think she looks about 23 instead of her actual age of 17). I like her item number better than Rose Dawn's.

Namitha looks prettier here than in the Tamil version. She could still stand to lose a few kilos, though. And her dancing is as cringe-worthy as ever. Anushka seems to have more oomph than Nayantara, especially in her bikini scenes. Or maybe it just seems that way because both she and Namitha were given more screen time to vamp it up.

Based on what I've viewed so far, I think I like the Telugu Billa a teensy bit more than the Tamil one, especially since Prabhas and Anushka have more interaction/flirtation than Ajith and Nayantara.

ETA 12/24/09: Having rewatched the Tamil version for the fifteen millionith time, I've now decided that I like Rose Dawn's weaving and jerking to "Sei Ethavathu Sei" better. For reasons unknown, I've suddenly developed a soft spot for her. She might become my latest "SLO", even though I have no idea what she's done since Billa.

And while I thought Prabhas looked hot, he just doesn't do it for me the way Ajith does. No matter how old, fat, bloated, and/or haggard-looking Ajith gets, I will always find him sexy on some level. He's just got it like that.

However, I still prefer Anushka's bikini scene to Nayantara's, especially now that I'm getting kind of sick of Nayan. Maybe I need to rewatch Ghajini, Vallavan, and/or Rappakal to feel the love again.

ETA 02/03/10: Anushka still looks better in a bikini but I've decided that I really don't like Hansika's item number. It's not bad, just not significantly better than Rose Dawn's. I've also decided that the Telugu Billa is an unncessarily drawn-out near-copy of the Tamil version. I do like the additional scenes with Prabhas and Anushka, but otherwise, it's like, "Why?"

I found Prabhas appealing enough to consider rewatching Munna, Yogi, and Chakram, but I'm still not totally sold on him. He looked nice, but the robotic voice and "Hasta la vista, baby!" killed it for me. Ajith doesn't have the most expressive of voices, either, but I felt his particular deadpan was a better fit for the character. Maybe I'm biased. Oh, well. **shrug**

I wonder if the 1980 Billa with Rajnikanth is available from Anytamil. It's listed, but that doesn't mean it's in stock. I liked what I saw online, and while I'm not a Rajini fan, I thought he did justice to the role. I should probably watch the original Don with Amitabh and Zeenat, just to see how it compares.