Billa (1980)
Plot
Billa is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by R. Krishnamoorthy and produced by Suresh Balaje. The film stars Rajinikanth in a dual role, alongside Sripriya and Balaji. It is a remake of Don, a 1978 Hindi film written by Salim–Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film revolves around David Billa, a powerful ganglord who is fatally wounded during an encounter with the police. Wanting to uncover Billa's accomplices, DSP Alexander trains a lookalike simpleton Rajappa to pose as Billa and infiltrate the gang. The rest of the film deals with how Rajappa learns more about Billa's gang, and tries to get all of them arrested. Billa was released on 26 January 1980, and emerged a blockbuster, running for over 25 weeks in theatres. It was a turning point in Rajinikanth's career, disproving detractors that claimed he was "finished" and which saw him accepted as a full-fledged hero. He was subsequently cast in a series of roles modelled after Bachchan's "angry young man" persona, in various Tamil remakes of Hindi films written by Salim–Javed and starring Bachchan, who Rajinikanth has credited as his inspiration. The success of Billa established Rajinikanth as one of
Billa details
| Industry | Tamil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980 |
| Genres | Action, Thriller |
| Runtime | 2h 55m |
| Rating | Not rated |
| Director | R. Krishnamoorthy |
| Status | Released |
| Language | ta |
| Record verified | 2026-09-21 |
| Source | Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · images: TMDB |
Where to watch Billa
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Billa cast & crew
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Billa — questions
What is Billa about?
Billa is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by R. Krishnamoorthy and produced by Suresh Balaje. The film stars Rajinikanth in a dual role, alongside Sripriya and Balaji. It is a remake of Don, a 1978 Hindi film written by Salim–Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film revolves around David Billa, a powerful ganglord who is fatally wounded during an encounter with the police. Wanting to uncover Billa's accomplices, DSP Alexander trains a lookalike simpleton Rajappa to pose as Billa and infiltrate the gang. The rest of the film deals with how Rajappa learns more about Billa's gang, and tries to get all of them arrested. Billa was released on 26 January 1980, and emerged a blockbuster, running for over 25 weeks in theatres. It was a turning point in Rajinikanth's career, disproving detractors that claimed he was "finished" and which saw him accepted as a full-fledged hero. He was subsequently cast in a series of roles modelled after Bachchan's "angry young man" persona, in various Tamil remakes of Hindi films written by Salim–Javed and starring Bachchan, who Rajinikanth has credited as his inspiration. The success of Billa established Rajinikanth as one of
Who is in the cast of Billa?
Billa stars Rajinikanth, Sripriya, Balaji and is directed by R. Krishnamoorthy. The full credited cast is listed above.
Where can I watch Billa online?
We currently have no streaming platform listed for Billa. It may be between rights deals, or only available on a service we do not track yet. This page was last checked on 2026-09-21.
How long is Billa?
Billa runs 2h 55m (175 minutes).
Who directed Billa?
Billa was directed by R. Krishnamoorthy.
Can I download Billa?
Not from this site — we host no film files. Where a licensed platform carries the title, that platform’s own app is the place to download it for offline viewing. The download guide explains what each quality and format means, and the buttons there point to an external third-party app we do not own or control.
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