With a hangover from the earlier Billa (2007) there was obviously a sense of dejavu that crept in me even before watching this movie. The thought of Ajith walking (the ramp!) along with the men by his side with cool shades and dark suits gave me sleepless nights as I might be witnessing the same for the second time; but thankfully Ajith has done more than that this time around with a raw and belligerent performance that demanded very little from him in terms of effort.

Since this one is a prequel to the previous part, it traces the early life of the don, David Billa and how he climbs the ranks in the dark and gory mafia jungle. The movie had blood splashed all over it with every scene hardly passing on to the next without a stabbing or a gunshot. Although the narration had an element of conviction, there was an inherent slowness in the movie that created a rift between the movie and the audience. Apart from a few scenes with dark humor and Ajith's satirical punch dialogs which was placed at the right time, there was barely anything to lap up.

What was so convincing was that throughout the movie director Chakri Toleti did not compromise on the character of 'Billa' and continued to portray him in bad light and Ajith was right on the money.

Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdullah were unknown names in Kollywood until the release of this movie and they would continue to be so as they just sleep walked throughout the movie with hardly any substance in their roles.

Two handsome villains, Vidyut Jamwal and Sudhanshu Pandey  added élan with their subtle yet aggressive acts.

Yog Jaypee as Ajith's partner in crime, walks with him throughout and was convincing.

Yuvan's music and BGM is already a hit and the picturization of the songs on a grand scale with R.D. Rajasekhar's cinematography had only enhanced the movie watching experience.

Editing by Suresh Urs was commendable as the movie was just 2 hours and 8 minutes in length, but the scenes were largely disconnected from one another, forestalling a smooth flow.

Though the movie lacked flamboyance even with very high production values, it can be a one-time watch for all Ajith fans as he has put up a valorous act as a baddie yet again for the third time in his career after Billa and Mankatha.

Verdict: One-time Watch

Rating: 2.5/5

PS: Lot of violence and bloodshed