The most anticipated movie of the year has been finally released after numerous delays. The expectations were sky-high for Billa 2 and to be honest, it did not disappoint. The film is a perfect treat for action-buffs and also Thala fans.

As we have known earlier, Billa 2 is the prequel of the 2007 Vishnuvardhan-directed Billa. Directed by Chakri Toleti (of Unnaipol Oruvan fame), Billa 2 is an out-and-out action film which focuses on the rise of David Billa from being a Sri Lankan refugee into a feared underworld don. The film follows a straight, focused path without unnecessary sequences and comedy scenes.

Ajith as Billa is as usual stylish, suave and at the same time violent and menacing with his fear-inducing eyes. He played the role to perfection. No other actor could have pulled off such a performance. Thala Ajith deserves a salute for pulling off the death-defying helicopter stunt without a double. Vidyut Jamwal, in his debut in Tamil cinema excelled in his role as Dimitri. His introduction fight sequence is one of the plus points. Like Vidyut, Sudhanshu Pandey also made his Tamil cinema debut as the cunning Goan gangster, Abbasi. He too, excelled in his role. The leading ladies of the film, Bruna Abdullah as Sameera and Parvathy Omanakuttan as Jasmine performed fairly well in their maiden Tamil films. Apart from that, Yog Japi reprised his role as Billa’s right-hand man, Ranjith. Manoj K.Jayan, Ilavarasu and Sriman appear in supporting roles while Rahman as Jagdish appears in a cameo.

On the technical side, Billa 2 is on par with Bollywood films (certainly way ahead than some recent releases) and even Hollywood to an extent. R.D. Rajasekhar’s cinematography (with the RED EPIC camera) is just excellent. He had captured each frame with finesse; especially the action sequences and the songs were picturized in a rich and classy tone. The locales of Georgia and Goa were beautifully captured as well. Suresh Urs’ skillful editing kept the film’s pace intact while the stunt department (Rajasekhar, Kecha and Stefan Richter) made sure that action buffs were served generous servings of gun-and-fist fights. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s songs stood out, especially Yedho Mayakkam. YSR’s BGM is also brilliant, notably the recurring theme music.

Being a full-fledged action film sans romance and comedy, there is excessive blood and gore (Billa 2 is rated 18 here in Malaysia) but surprisingly less foul language. Apart from that, I personally feel that the Gangster song is misplaced at the end of the film. Chakri Toleti proved yet again that he is one director to look out for. In conclusion, Billa 2 is tailor-made for Ajith and he certainly made his mark. The entire film is classy and of international standards.