Every year there is a plethora of sequels & prequels coming out in all languages that you can hardly keep track of it. But if at all there is one that everyone eagerly looks forward to, then it has to be David Billa, the biggest don of the celluloid world. After having enthralled the audience with his own version of "Billa", drawing parallels with the original Billa (Rajinikant); "Thala" Ajith is back with "Billa 2", the prequel of the blockbuster. So will it be an early Diwali for the Tamil industry???
Civil War has broken out in Sri Lanka & that has brought David Billa (Ajith) to the refugee camp on the shores of Rameswaram. Inspite of being in an unknown land, there was no doubting the fire inside Billa as he stands up to all those who ill treats him or his fellow refugees. This naturally invites the wrath of many & he eliminates each one of them. Armed with the fierce desire to make it big, he takes on risk after risk which in due time takes him up to the very top of the power ladder. In short, the film traverses the journey of Billa from the refugee camp to Goa, Georgia & finally to being the dreaded arms dealer in the world.
Though Vishnuvardhan had called the shots in "Billa", this time around the responsibility falls on Chakra Toleti who had directed "Unnaipol Oruvan". Just as in all gangster movies, this one is also all about style, guns, babes & bloodshed. However, it's imperative along with these masala components the film should have the backing of a credible script. Unfortunately, that's where the film falters as it barely explores the character of Billa & resembles more of a boxing tournament where after each round he is faced with a stronger opponent until he has vanquished all of them. The opening sequences were fantastic & even the first half does build up the tempo, but the latter half also follows the same trend with hardly any twists or turns.
If at all anything makes this film click, it is undoubtedly the charismatic "Thala" Ajith. He brings such style & flair to the character that you just dont mind sitting through the ordeal of the second half. Yog Japee, Sudhanshu Pandey & Vidyut Jamwal have done justice to their roles. As for the rest, I guess in order to avoid the issue of gender bias the females were included coz or else I dont quite recollect as to why Parvati Omanakuttan & Bruna Abdullah were there as they neither had any songs or imparted oomph factor. Yuvan Shankar's music was a disappointment while Rajasekhar's visuals & Suresh's editing were top notch. Special mention also has to be made about the action sequences which were a treat indeed.
Verdict: Releasing at an unprecedented 2500 theatres, the film will gather a fantastic initial over the weekend. Though handicapped by the lack of an impressive script, the fans will surely lap it up & in all probability likely to be a blockbuster. So in short, you can give it a try purely for the panache of Thala!!!
Rating: 2.5/5
Regards...Ben