Billa - Slick and Stylish but something amiss

I went to see Billa very well knowing the story..but what excited me most about the movie was the hype created&though it was a remake the publicity which the movie got(only 2nd to Sivaji) made me eager to watch it as soon as possible.After coming from the movie..i feel a mixture of emotions..there are a lot of positives&negatives going for the movie..

Firstly the positives...
The movie is amazingly stylish&shot brilliantly..credit to Nirav Shah..the action scenes deserve a special mention..Kudos to the costumes also..
Ajith is absolutely amazing in the movie..The movie fully rests on his shoulders&he carries the burden with elan&class..He's never looked more dashing in any of his films..Colors of Black&White perfectly suit the character of "BILLA".
Oh my gawd Nayanthara..What has transpired into her. Can't in my wildest dreams imagine the same girl wearing simple sarees in Chandramukhi just a couple of yrs ago..She looks so posh&every scene of hers makes your tongue wag like a hungry dog. A perfect example of what i call a "Bombshell"!
Another plus point for the movie is Yuvan. Though am not a great fan of the songs of the movie i must confess his BGM is exceptional especially as the action scenes unfold, his re-recording perfectly syncs with the narrative &makes for an exhilarating ride full of thrills&spills..

Now coming to the negatives...
There weren't any attempts to deviate the storyline from the original..barring a few technological changes(obviously)the script stuck firmly to the original..unlike the Hindi "Don" which was daring&different and introduced a new twist to the
storyline.
Having seen the Hindi version of DON just a yr ago..i felt that Billa was just a hangover esp. with same locations&somewhat similar sets..
Though the film is just 2hrs 15 mins..it ain't so fast moving&tends to drag at times
The editing should have been tighter&crispier!!
The film defies logic at times&if u start analysing closely u will find a lot of loopholes..
The climax is also a major letdown..just when u expect it to land with a flourish..it takes a heavy fall..

Prabhu doesnt have much scope&his dialogues leave a poor taste. Raghuman and Adithya are strictly ok.Santhanam is not utilised. Namitha adds weight to the credits but in the movie her weight is reversed to the debit.She hardly has anything to do in the movie and a song has been wasted upon her..
Even Nayanthara, though she looks drop dead gorgeous but performance wise she doesn't match up to Priyanka Chopra in "Don". One flaw in Ajith is his dancing. He hardly manages to shake a leg and looks a bit awkward in the songs.

Conclusion
In a nutshell,Billa is a treat but somehow you tend to get the feeling that you didn't enjoy the treat to the maximum level.I'm sure people who haven't watched the old Billa or the Hindi Don starring SRK would surely enjoy the film. As an average cinegoer, Billa has given me its share of entertainment. Only when you crave for more do you tend to feel disappointed. Ajith fans will surely love the movie & for non Ajith fans, I seriously recommend you all to watch the movie because you will end up being fans of Thala Ajith.