Billa – Grandeur Milepost du Tamil Cinema

Production: Ananda Pictures, Ayangaran Films & Pyramid Saimira.
Screenplay & Direction: Vishnu Vardhan
Starring: Ajith Kumar, Prabhu, Nayanthara, Namitha, Raghuman, Santhanam and others.
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematography: Nirav Shah
Editing: Sreekar Prasad

Billa isn’t a movie that could be just termed as another remake and we are sure about it. Nevertheless it’s a flick that carries the masses for a different experience; say a grand fiesta of visual treat. Well, Billa is a silent roar of Ajith and that’s a noteworthy milestone in his entire career. Moreover, Billa proves to be an allegiance of Ajith for Rajnikanth and in turns Vishnuvardhan’s marvelous tribute to Ajith Kumar.

Prologue in this flick is something you should not miss and rest is something you wouldn’t like missing. Billa isn’t worth watching once, but for many time for it looks fresh every time you watch. Well, over here it’s not about someone or few to be praised for everyone has contributed to their part of edulcorating the feel of flick.

Cool! This review is gonna be with KISS, Keep It Short and Simple, for there wouldn’t anyone among not knowing synopsis of Billa, for there have already been three versions of Amitabh starring Don, Rajnikanth starrer Billa, Shah Rukh Khan in remake of Don and now Ajith in Tamil remake.

Anyway let’s take a glimpse on synopsis of Billa…..

David Billa (Ajith), world’s most wanted mafia always remains as a great target of international police. Drug-dealings, committing murders, smugglings and other anti-social elements are his source of business at Malaysia. Well, DSP Jayaprakash (Prabhu) an Interpol officer is the right man who attempts on trapping the deadly poisonous personality. Fine, the intense game of Tom and Jerry breaks into more thrilling and ends up with the death of Billa. Alas! Does the story ends up here? Not at all, for then begins it with Jayaprakash has a person Velu (Played by Ajith himself) who has similar identities of David Billa. Velu being railed into the world of mafia makes everyone conceive that Billa is still alive. Jayaprakash designs the drama of trapping the entire network of Mafia and their informer named Jagdeesh who is an Interpol officer.

Here enters the frame, Mr. Gokulnath (Raghuman) an expertise in the department of Interpol. Joining hands with Jayaprakash, his only aim is to zero down the entire network. Velu disguised as Billa remains as a longtime prey for Shasa (Nayanthara) urges to kill him and on the other hand, it’s CJ (Namitha) Billa’s girl who would easily find out his true identity.

With truth revealed to Shasa, CJ comes to know the concealed reality and Jayaprakash killed by obliterator Jagdish, Velu is trapped by Interpol department. How does he break the hurdles hassling his life and in turn traps Jagdish forms crux of the story….

It’s all the same old story and there isn’t anything special about this. If do you have this sort of ideas, please drop them away. Billa is not something different from original version, but the presentation by Vishnuvardhan makes you feel it as new and unique. Does alone this alone make the film cool? Yup! Its man of the show, Ajith Kumar who snaffles ‘n’ swipes the attention of audiences. The script resized and altered by Vishnuvardhan has a great part in avoiding audiences’ attention from scattering.

Prabhu prominently equalizes his performance to that of Ajith with a decent approach. His ability to catch up with fitting looks of a cop makes him more apt. Of course, the story-oriented comedy tracks he performs with Ajith fills up with the entertaining aspects of the movie.

The cool ‘n’ hot missies Nayanthara and Namitha brimming up with both glamorous and action-oriented scenes take us for a different ride. Frankly speaking about glamour part. They don’t look seemingly vulgar and that’s because story demands it and hats off to Vishnuvardhan for handling them brilliantly. Raghuman has a great break with this film for he uproars with an enchanting performance of excellent body language and looks.

If you think Billa is a visual treat, then there is another personality who you must not miss him praising and that’s Nirav Shah. Canning shots with different locations of foreign land with the blue tone of frame bring us the stylishly presented scenes.

Yuvan Shankar Raja leaves us to a great shock? Do you know what? Yuvan who has been so disappointing with his recent ventures breaks with different sound of music. Be it the songs or background music, he enraptures with a good comeback and there is one more feather on his cap.

With the tetrad-combo of Ajith-Vishnu-Yuvan-Nirav, ‘My Name is Billa’ remains as one of the main highlights of the movie. Well, that goes on with other songs too and there isn’t anything faulty to be pointed out on any others.

Finally, Ajith is not only an actor who can be compared with Amitabh Bacchan, Rajnikanth and Shah Rukh Khan who played similar roles in previous versions of the same film. But he takes a step ahead and proves it worthy of getting compared himself with Hollywood actors Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

So Ajith Kumar is not a man who now has to compete with Kollywood stars, but the world film performers and that’s his standard now.

Billa is not just a milestone in career of Ajith for moreover it’s one of the great trendsetting movies in Tamil cinema for all the time.

Bonus Material :

Director Vishnuvardhan Speaks about Billa - Videos

Costume Designer Anu Vardhan Speaks about Billa - Videos