Superstar Rajinikanth's PR manager Riaz Ahmed slammed Shershaah director Vishnuvardhan recently for his statement on Thalaiva's 1980 film Billa. For those unversed, during one of his recent interviews, Vishnuvardhan called Billa a 'flop' and said that it didn't do well when it released on the big screens back then.

For those unversed, Vishnuvardhan directed the remake of Billa, featuring actor Ajith Kumar in the lead, in 2007.

A video of Vishnuvardhan's interview is also doing the rounds on social media platforms. However, his comments on Rajinikanth's film did not go down well with the publicist who decided to give a befitting reply.

Amid the promotions of his upcoming film Nesippaya, Vishnuvardhan said, "Do you know the truth? Billa did not actually run all that well. Then I had to see what I actually liked in the film. That was when I realised that they had taken a dark character and made the film. That is a great idea."

Reacting to his interview, Ahmed clarified on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the film was a superhit. He wrote, "Dear @vishnu_dir sir, I would like to politely bring to your attention that the 1980 release #Billa was a Silver Jubilee Hit. You may kindly confirm this with the producer of the original version, Mr. Suresh Balaji. I humbly request you to ensure accuracy in your statements to avoid sharing incorrect information."

In the 1980 film, Rajinikanth played a double role. It also starred Sripriya, Balaji, A. V. M. Rajan, Major Sundarrajan, Praveena, Manohar and others. It follows Billa, a notorious ganglord who is critically injured in a police encounter. To expose Billa's network of accomplices, DSP Alexander recruits Rajappa, a simpleton who bears an uncanny resemblance to Billa, and trains him to impersonate the gangster and infiltrate the criminal gang.