Billa 2- A review
If you were expecting Billa 2 to be a conventional 'masala' flick with 'mass-oriented' scenes interspersed with the story of a gangster, then you'd be disappointed. Billa 2 is a serious movie till the end. At the outset, it should be mentioned that the movie has scenes adapted from Scarface and The Godfather. It is not like there hasn't been any Tamil movie that ripped off scenes from The Godfather and the like. But they were done hitherto, only as a part of the conventional formula of commercial film-making. Presumably, for the first time in Tamil, we have a commercial flick that is not formula-oriented but genre-focused. Right from the titles till the end, there is no digression.The heartening thing is that a Tamil movie on the gangster theme has nothing to do with the actor's stardom. Ajith's star value is only a bonus to the film. There isn't a single sentence that is out of place; nor a scene that didn't contribute to the narration. The Billa team should be highly commended for utterly avoiding the frivolous aspects of commercial cinema.
Billa 2 comes with a tight script with a single-minded aim to the tell the his/story of a man who eventually becomes a feared gangster. Though it looks a straight-forward plot, its thickness makes it all the more gripping. Eschewing trivialities like dream songs or incongruous scenes or BGM, the film has maintained greater intensity; and the lack of many 'wide angle' (pun unintended) shots added to that intensity.
The most memorable aspects are the stunts and the one-liners. It should be easily said that, for Ajith, these stunts are the never-before-done kind. The moves were fresh and believable with technique reflecting Billa's merciless character. The stunts in the helicopter are nerve-wracking but that should not take the focus away from other refreshing stunt scenes. Added to this, one-liners given to Ajith are sharper than the knives he uses. The lack of verbosity again adds to the sting.
Underplay in Ajith's acting is what makes the film more realistic. The eyes show hardly any emotion apart from a cold desire to do what he does best: kill people who cross his way and make it to the top.
Yuvan's music is fitting. No trumpets blown for Ajith's introduction or fight scenes. He has helped underplay the first-half suiting the plot well. The Billa Theme is heard only towards the end. 'Unakulle Mirugam' captures the mood well. R D Rajasekar's work with the Red Epic camera has worked out well. The tint is maintained well. It gives greater focus on the narration. Visuals for 'Unakulle Mirugam' song are very different and raises Ajith's fans from their seats.
For a change, the ladies have their bit to do than just dance and love the hero. Both Parvathy and Bruno can improve their performances. But their newness shows. The villains' characterization could have been stronger matching Ajith fist for fist.
Though the plot is tight and thick, it is also very flat. Nothing different really happens apart from Billa becoming a Don. It is the same one-way movement of the plot that dulls the edge of narration. Since it is a prequel, it is obvious that Billa eventually becomes a Don. And there was no space in the plot to suggest otherwise. Effort was not taken to break that predictability.
Another major drawback is Ajith's weight. The previous Billa had a slimmer Ajith and it wouldn't be logical to suggest that Billa in the prequel has more weight. (As a fan, I don't mind his weight but as a critic, it doesn't fit in both logically and chronologically) Billa 2 also has a couple of scenes that beats one's sense of logic. When surrounded by armed coastal guards, there are better ingenious ways to escape than just drive the truck past them. The director could have used the richness of the plot to create sharper scenes that all kinds of audiences enjoy.
However, the courage of the film-makers should be commended for willing to sacrifice the winning-formula and depend on realistic narration. If all audiences accept, this would, perhaps, be 'the beginning' (again, pun unintended) of a new commercial formula for action movies in Tamil.
If you were expecting Billa 2 to be a conventional 'masala' flick with 'mass-oriented' scenes interspersed with the story of a gangster, then you'd be disappointed. Billa 2 is a serious movie till the end. At the outset, it should be mentioned that the movie has scenes adapted from Scarface and The Godfather. It is not like there hasn't been any Tamil movie that ripped off scenes from The Godfather and the like. But they were done hitherto, only as a part of the conventional formula of commercial film-making. Presumably, for the first time in Tamil, we have a commercial flick that is not formula-oriented but genre-focused. Right from the titles till the end, there is no digression.The heartening thing is that a Tamil movie on the gangster theme has nothing to do with the actor's stardom. Ajith's star value is only a bonus to the film. There isn't a single sentence that is out of place; nor a scene that didn't contribute to the narration. The Billa team should be highly commended for utterly avoiding the frivolous aspects of commercial cinema.
Billa 2 comes with a tight script with a single-minded aim to the tell the his/story of a man who eventually becomes a feared gangster. Though it looks a straight-forward plot, its thickness makes it all the more gripping. Eschewing trivialities like dream songs or incongruous scenes or BGM, the film has maintained greater intensity; and the lack of many 'wide angle' (pun unintended) shots added to that intensity.
The most memorable aspects are the stunts and the one-liners. It should be easily said that, for Ajith, these stunts are the never-before-done kind. The moves were fresh and believable with technique reflecting Billa's merciless character. The stunts in the helicopter are nerve-wracking but that should not take the focus away from other refreshing stunt scenes. Added to this, one-liners given to Ajith are sharper than the knives he uses. The lack of verbosity again adds to the sting.
Underplay in Ajith's acting is what makes the film more realistic. The eyes show hardly any emotion apart from a cold desire to do what he does best: kill people who cross his way and make it to the top.
Yuvan's music is fitting. No trumpets blown for Ajith's introduction or fight scenes. He has helped underplay the first-half suiting the plot well. The Billa Theme is heard only towards the end. 'Unakulle Mirugam' captures the mood well. R D Rajasekar's work with the Red Epic camera has worked out well. The tint is maintained well. It gives greater focus on the narration. Visuals for 'Unakulle Mirugam' song are very different and raises Ajith's fans from their seats.
For a change, the ladies have their bit to do than just dance and love the hero. Both Parvathy and Bruno can improve their performances. But their newness shows. The villains' characterization could have been stronger matching Ajith fist for fist.
Though the plot is tight and thick, it is also very flat. Nothing different really happens apart from Billa becoming a Don. It is the same one-way movement of the plot that dulls the edge of narration. Since it is a prequel, it is obvious that Billa eventually becomes a Don. And there was no space in the plot to suggest otherwise. Effort was not taken to break that predictability.
Another major drawback is Ajith's weight. The previous Billa had a slimmer Ajith and it wouldn't be logical to suggest that Billa in the prequel has more weight. (As a fan, I don't mind his weight but as a critic, it doesn't fit in both logically and chronologically) Billa 2 also has a couple of scenes that beats one's sense of logic. When surrounded by armed coastal guards, there are better ingenious ways to escape than just drive the truck past them. The director could have used the richness of the plot to create sharper scenes that all kinds of audiences enjoy.
However, the courage of the film-makers should be commended for willing to sacrifice the winning-formula and depend on realistic narration. If all audiences accept, this would, perhaps, be 'the beginning' (again, pun unintended) of a new commercial formula for action movies in Tamil.