Film: David Billa
Rating: 2/5
Banner: SVR Media, Aascar Productions
Cast: Ajith, Bruna Abdullah, Parvathi Omanakuttan, Sudhanshu Pandey, Meenakshi Dixit (item song) and others
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematographer: R D Rajasekhar
Editor: Suresh Urs
Story: Chakri Toleti, Eric Felberg
Director: Chakri Toleti
Producers: Sobharani, Sunir Kheterpal, Suresh Balaje, George Pius
Release date: 13/07/2012
Tamil star Ajith who has a decent following in Tollywood has arrived with the stylish movie and this time he has teamed up with director Chakri Toleti of ‘Eenadu’ fame. Let us see how this is
Story
David Billa (Ajith) is an ordinary man who grows up in a refugee camp and he is known for his fearless nature and guts. The urge to rise out of his poverty makes him take bold steps. He is accompanied by Ranjith (Yog) and soon he meets the big don Abbasi (Sudhanshu) in Goa. In no time, he becomes close to Abbasi but differences creep up and Billa splits. From then on, he begins to start his own business of drugs, arms and this is not an easy task because he has many enemies and challenges. How the ordinary David Billa becomes the big don forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Ajith is stylish, handsome and intense. He has underplayed his role effectively and did justice to the character. This is a rather unusual style of his which is different from his regular performances.
Parvathy Omanakuttan doesn’t really have it to be a heroine. Apart from the cat walk and few smiles, the beauty and sex appeal factor is missing. But she has shown good confidence and ease.
Bruna Abdullah as the gangster’s moll is there for the visual feast. Though she has slightly old looks, her brief presence was filled with two bikini scenes and some show of her well toned legs. Performance wise, nothing!
Sudhanshu Pandey was handsome and did his bit as required. Vidyut Jamwal was apt. Yog Japee was upto the mark. Ilavarasu was standard. Manoj K Jayan was adequate. Meenakshi Dixit was sizzling and awesome. She deserves to get more onscreen opportunities. Rahman was there for one scene exactly. The others didn’t have scope.
Highlights
- Ajith’s screen presence
- Cinematography
- Song picturization
- Production values
Drawbacks
- Weak direction
- Slow pace
- Dull screenplay
- No depth in scenes
- Poor content
Analysis
Gangster films don’t have any special storyline and usually the pattern is quite predictable.
So, a large part of the responsibility falls on the director to prepare a script which is tight, a screenplay which is gripping and an intensity which gives the seriousness. But Chakri Toleti has failed in all the departments. It is true that he has got style and an element of class in the making but one should also show the class in the taking.
Expensive suits, rich locations, lovely looking girls don’t make the film successful. It should have enough meat for the audience to connect with the protagonist and feel his intensity. That way, Chakri failed to deliver in creating that emotion. The other thing he needs to learn is strong narration and creating Dramatism. Dealing with big names like Ajith requires that.
For instance, the introduction scene of Ajith, the heroines and few important sequences just passed off casually without having any special touch and that didn’t give much impact. And despite having such efficient technicians, cast and budget on hand, if he has not given that punch then Chakri should take the blame completely.
After watching the original Billa, it is natural to have some expectations on this prequel but it must be said that there is a wide gap between both. Overall, the film is like the imported Chinese furniture which looks flamboyant outside but is hollow inside.
At the box office, the openings could be nice due to the hype and Ajith factor but apart from that, don’t see much happening for this movie.
Bottomline: Only style no substance..
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected])
