Review Of

APC and Ayngaran come up with the latest version of the 1980 year Rajnikanth starrer Billa and here is my review of the 2007 version of Billa.

This film directed by Vishnuvardhan has Ajith enacting David Billa, a don who is hounded by Indian police with the aid of Malaysian Polis.I have given a preamble to the Billa story, which faithfully follows the older version in terms of the rest of the story.

The film comes to release with a lot of hype surrounding it thanks to the slick and stylish trailer that caught the attention of Kollywood and then on, it has been Billa all the way in Kollywood circle.

Coming to the review of Billa,I am not going into the story part of it as the director has stuck on to what he had been saying from the beginning-“We have not tried to alter and we are playing it safe”.He has not altered the story.


Now, the screenplay.Vishnuvardhan has been impressive with his screenplay in Arindhum ariyamalum and was at his best in Pattiyal. With Billa too,he doesn t disappoint as the film moves quickly with no hurdles. It keeps one engaged even though many know what is going to happen next. This, according to me ,was the biggest challenge as it is a remake and people can easily lose interest as they already know what is up next.

Coming to the direction,I feel he has made the most of all potential actors in the film.He has usd his artistes to the adequate extent. There are no big mesmerizing long sequences but with a few shots he has reiterated the fact that an Action can speak louder than words. To elucidate this,i make use of a scene where the clan of Billa want to know why he killed one of their own members.There, Billa just throws the gun to someone and walks. That was well appreciated and I feel all the applause should go to the director.

Art by Milan deserves special mention in ‘My name is Billa’ and ‘Seval kodi’ songs.Apart from that he has done well wherever required.

And the Chinese (or japanese I am not sure) stunt master has given a big relief. There are no graphics defying fight sequences in Billa which is a huge huge relief to me,atleast! The way Ajith jumps from the Aero bridge must have been a difficult one to bring out. Ajith and the stunt choreographer deserve credits for it.

Costumes by Anuvardhan deserves an ovation, for, that has been a high point in the film and adds to the ‘stylish’ tag that can be associated with this film.She has made Ajith look special and any gentleman would love to have the wardrobe that Ajith would have had in Billa.Also, the costumes of Nayanthara make her look exotic and doesn t make people feel uncomfortable(in either sense!) watching it!.

Prabhu as the CBI officer from India, has done a good job and brings out his witty side too in a few sequences.His character has been etched out nicely.Nayanthara and Namitha donot have much to do and they have performed adequately but they donot make us feel why they are there in the film.The other important characters played by Rahman(Interpol officer),Aditya(Malay Polis officer) and Kaaka kaaka fame Agaram Sethu have been good.But one will have to agree that the suspicion that the director tries to evoke on Aditya being an informer fails to an extent.

Now I come to the BIG 3..The trumpcards that the director of the crew has used to the fullest efficiency.

First, Nirav Shah the man behind the lens..What a job he has done. As many other reviews quote,every shot and every frame in the film carries richness and the colours and lightings used have brought to us the answer to HOW the director wanted to show his WHAT.I am not proficient enough with cinematography and techniques.So, I leave saying Nirav shah deserves a big share of the appreciation the film gets.

Second, Yuvan Shankar Raja. He has been at the receiving end for the average songs that he has given for quite sometime now. But he is not someone who will go down.For Billa, he has not given his special melodies.But he has given what the film required.But he has given 5 good numbers.Seval Kodi,Vethalaya Potendi were chartbusters even before the film’s release.My name is Billa with its wonderful picturisation has come out well in the film too.

Here it is!The Theme Music of Billa.It literally lights up the scene whenever it plays behind in various forms, various speeds. A part of the music that comes up frequently in the film,which I ve nicknamed ‘Billa anthem’ is a huge plus. He has been proving that Background music of a film is as important as its songs.. maybe even more important than songs..and Billa is an illustration to it.With Billa, YuvanShankarRaja takes one giant leap towards the numero uno in bgms ,where King Ilayaraja stays comfortably.
Listen to the piece of music that plays when the credits fall at the end of the film.
Exemplary stuff!

Ultimately,I come to the Ultimate star who enacts David Billa.Ajith once again proves his screen presence. This time with rich looking blazers,suits,coolers..well,you can’t take your eyes off him when he is on screen .He hasn t tried to follow Rajnikanth’s style taking an excuse that it is a remake of his film. But,he proves that he is a style mannan in his own right!There is not much to talk about histrionic skills in acting as Billa doesn t speak much. He is at home performing the car stunts. As Velu,he is a revelation! And Vishnu deserves much credits in making it work.All his one liners and the witty sequences when Prabhu trains him will be well received by the audience. His dialog delivery ,which has been under scrutiny for a long time now,is notably good in Billa.On the flip side , I would definitely want to mention these two.One,Ajith must definitely give an eye to his physique. It is easy for a handsome person to get carried away with his physique,but Ajith is an actor and a big waistline will make no good to him. He,definitely has to look at it. Two,his dancing. Seval Kodi song has been choreographed poorly and Ajith,known for his fine facial expressions dances at half the pace of the song with nearly no expressions.In vethalaya potendi he is ok but definitely needs to improve.Though not number one,he has been a graceful dancer throughout his career but not in Billa.I would not have talked if he had not danced well for a long time.But his dance in Ilamai (Godfather) was brilliant and why cannot he repeat that!..Anyway,he makes it up by doing very well everywhere else in the film.

Before forgetting, I want to mention about Santhanam. He comes only in two scenes but tickles your ribs.

Nowhere in this film does the director allow anyone to give sarcastic comments and with that he succeeds. When we come out of the theatre,we think about the stylish Billa inside us and there he becomes victorious. In all, Vishnuvardhan has come up with a slick, stylish, racy entertainer in the form of Billa which is sure to take the graphs of each individual in the crew one big step ahead. Billa, might well become a trendsetter and make filmmakers give more importance to style over substance. Thumbs Up to Billa!He is Back!

Verdict:Bedazzler Billa Blazes Bigtime!