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"BILLA 2" MOVIE REVIEW

BILLA 2 MOVIE REVIEW

Starring: Ajith Kumar, Parvathy Omanakuttan, Bruna Abdullah, Vidyut Jamwal, Sudhanshu Pandey  
Direction: Chakri Toleti 
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja 
Production: Suresh Balaje, George Pius, Sunir Khetrapal

Releasing today amidst humongous expectations, Billa 2 has widely been acclaimed as being India’s first prequel. Audiences are already familiar with David Billa as a character, thanks to the impact of the earlier Billas which showcased the aura, the daredevilry and the sheer guts of this man. 
Now, Billa 2 was supposed to trace the roots of David Billa. Billa is a man who is always on the lookout for the next big thing and loyalty counts as his biggest virtue. The journey that David Billa goes through in his quest for total control and domination in his domain is what Billa 2 is, in a nutshell.   It is a typical gangster movie with loads of villains and an invincible hero who has truckloads of charisma and style.  
The fairly engaging first half of Billa 2 happens in coastal Tamil Nadu and later moves on to Goa. The intro scene wherein Ajith is engaged in a ferocious fight sequence and the indigenous title credits are gripping. The dialogues by Era Murugan and Mohamed Zafar are the highlight in this segment. They are filled with punch and meaning. Sample this “Na Agadhi da, Anaadha illa”, “Mathavanoda Bayam dan nambaloda Balam”. There are more such dialogues that are guaranteed to please Ajith’s fans.  
The tempo is lost in the second half. The two heroines, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdullah are more like guest cameos. It is disheartening to note that Parvathy doesn’t live up to the hype. Bruna Abdullah looks ravishing and the scenes where she flaunts her bikini body are sure to please the male populace.   
The villains, Sudhanshu and Vidyut are majestic and have terrific screen presence. Vidyut’s prowess at stunts has been positioned in his introductory fight sequence. Sudhanshu has to remain the cold and calculating don and doesn’t get to flex his muscles like Vidyut.  
Rahman has a blink and you miss type cameo while Manoj K Jayan, Krishna Kumar and Sriman have negative roles which they have done adequately. Ilavarasu impresses in the first half and he is missed in the second half when the action shifts gears.    
Ultimately, this movie is made for Ajith’s fans. Ajith looks fit in the first half while in the second half we get to see him in his typical suave avatar. The ferocious eyes in the fight sequences are Ajith’s biggest strength. His daring guts in the climax helicopter stunt have already been well documented but one does feel that the impact created by this aerial fight isn’t as great as expected.   
The fight sequences done by three separate stunt masters stand out for their ruthless nature. The fist cuffs are fast and they are violent to say the least. The A certificate seems justified.  There are lots of stylish gun shots and blasts that send the pulse racing. But the impact created by all these explosions isn’t great, again.  
The editing by Suresh Urs could have been tauter. The ‘Yedho Mayakkam’ song and the needless short belly dance number in the second half hamper the movie’s flow. That said, the editing and VFX in the ‘Unakkulle Mirugam’ song remind you of the flashy style that you see in Guy Ritchie movies.    
It is also disappointing to see the ‘Gang Gang Gangster’ song being reduced to a mere end credits song.  
R.D.Rajasekhar’s cinematography has made sure that the movie has a grand look. The songs look glossy, the picture resolution is extra-ordinary thanks to the Red Epic camera and RDR’s work in the helicopter sequence earns extra brownie points.  
To conclude, Billa 2 will please hardcore action fans and Ajith fans in particular. The emotional connect goes down thanks to a laborious second half. But, the idea of making a prequel and the grand scale of the movie make sure that the movie isn’t a tiresome experience either. Given the expectations, somehow you feel that the end product hasn’t been delivered.

Verdict: Gangster movie that doesn’t pack a solid punch
Rating:

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

"BILLA 2" WORLDWIDE RELEASE FROM TODAY

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Shankar about his upcoming movie 'ஐ'

Director Shankar took it to the social networking sites to disclose details about his upcoming magnum opus ‘ஐ’

Here the post by Director Shankar:

 

Hi Everyone!

It’s been a while… Was busy with the pre production of my next film, which I’ve titled ‘ஐ’. In tamil ‘i’ means beauty, king, guru, astonishment, vulnerability (softness/gentleness) etc. Produced by Aascar Films V.Ravichandran… And music composed by A.R.Rahman…

Starring Vikram, Santhanam, Malayalam super star Suresh Gopi, Ramkumar (Nadigar Thilakam Sivaji Ganesan’s eldest son) and many more… It’ll be my first venture with veteran DoP PC Sriram & writer duo SuBa.

Costume designer of ‘Men in Black’ series Mary Vogt is designing special costumes. Peter Ming of China and our own Anal Arasu will provide the daredevil stunts. Australian Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) who mesmerized us in the Harry Potter series are in charge of the VFX, and will be supervised by Srinivas.M.Mohan. Art Director Muthuraj and Editor Antony also make my team yet another time…

Under A.R.Rahman’s baton, written by Kabilan, a song was recorded recently which was sung by Vijay Prakash.

This is not a political film or about elections…
This is a full ‘N full Romantic Thriller…

The film will go on the floor from mid-July…

Yours,
Shankar.

"NAAN EE" MOVIE REVIEW

Starring: Nani, Samantha, Sudeep  

Direction: S S Rajamouli 

Music: Maragatha Mani 

Production: PVP Cinemas

The King of masala flicks, director SS Rajamouli, who has made films like Magadheera and Viramarkudu has come up with yet another super-entertainer Naan Ee, starring Nani, Samantha and Sudeep. This romantic-fantasy was in the making for very long, mainly because of the computer graphics.

The film is a good package with a perfect blend of fantasy, thrill, comedy and romance. The story line, in which the murdered hero, reincarnates as a house fly and takes revenge on his killer, might sound a bit immature, when just heard. But the film gives you a completely different experience.

SS Rajamouli has made sure that every department of film making has delivered its best. The film’s dialogue writer Crazy Mohan has penned some of his trademark rib ticklers. He has maintained simplicity throughout the script, so that the film doesn’t have any unnecessary punches from the hero or the villain.  

Though Nani, the film’s protagonist, has very less screen time, his absence is not felt. The romantic sequences between Samantha and Nani aren’t exaggerated at all, and look simple and feel good. Samantha too has done a neat job handling the character. But it is Kiccha Sudeep who is the clear winner. He has the right style and attitude required for the role. He plays the cruel man, who is being terrorized by a fly. The sequences between the fly and Sudeep in the first half are hilarious to the core. Usually, in most of the films, it will be the hero or the heroine who would have to carry out all types of emotions. But quiet contrarily, in Naan Ee, it is the villain who had to portray all types of emotions, and Sudeep has handled it with brilliance. Santhanam, though appears in a guest role, makes an impression. Devadharshini and Adithya, in character roles have delivered what is required.   

The CG and visual effects department must be applauded for such a wonderful job. They have made a fly to emote, dance and show gestures and that too with meticulous concentration on the details.

Another boost for the film is its music. Songs are very good, and with the visuals, it is more attractive. But it is the background music that scores more. The sarcastic touches by Keeravani here and there when Sudeep suffers the fly attack, contribute to the film’s humour in a big way.

KK Senthil Kumar’s cinematography is another marvel in the film. The ultra-motion shots, like those in the song ‘Rules Kidayadhu’, are awe inspiring. Be it the lighting, framing or compositions, everything were perfect and visually pulchritudinous. The cinematography is perfectly supported by Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao’s pacy editing. The sound engineering of the film can match the western quality to some extent.

On the whole, Naan Ee is an awe inspiring magical journey and a wholesome family entertainer. These two and a half hours will probably be the only time in one’s whole life, when we would love a fly.

Verdict: High on entertainment quotient

Rating:

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

"EEGA" MOVIE REVIEW

Director : S.S.Rajamouli

Producer : Suresh Babu

Music Director : M.M. Keeravani

Starring: Nani, Samantha, Sudeep

Sudeep ,Samantha and Nani have played the lead roles in S.S.Rajamouli’s Eega and the movie has released today. Rajamouli has worked very hard for two years to come up with this movie and it has released with very high expectations. Let us see how the movie is.

Story :

‘Eega’ starts off as a father’s bedtime story to a daughter. Bindu (Samantha) runs a charity organization that looks after the welfare of orphans. Nani (Nani) is a neighbour who loves Bindu deeply and he is shown as a guy who has been in love with her for the past two years. He keeps expressing his love for her in many ways and Bindu too loves him, but never expresses her feelings. Into this scenario comes Sudeep, a very rich business magnate. He sees Samantha and starts coveting her.

Once Sudeep realises the romantic angle between Bindu and Nani, he gets enraged and kills off Nani. At the time of dying, Nani realises that Bindu is also in love with him and he vows to protect Bindu from Sudeep. This causes him to be reborn as an Eega.

The rest of the story is about how the Eega protects Samantha from Sudeep

Plus Points :

Sudeep is the highlight of this movie. He has played a full length role for the first time in a Telugu film and he makes a great impression. His emotions, anger and histrionics are perfect.Samantha has done a great performance oriented role after ‘Ye Maya Chesave’ and her scenes with the Eega are superb. Her costumes are nice and she looks great.

Rajamouli does not have the comfort of a big hero’s presence in the movie, yet, he manged to pull of a good drama involving nothing more than a simple housefly. He has taken special care in terms of screenplay and graphics.

Special mention must be made of the scenes where the Eega tells Samantha that he is Nani. They are simply superb. The scenes where the Eega builds up physical endurance and the interval block are excellent as well.

Thagubothu Ramesh’s comedy track is neat. Hamsa Nandini makes a glamorous cameo appearance.

Technical Aspects :

Keeravani’s background score for this movie is outstanding and his work is key in communicating the Eega’s emotions to the audience. The theme song ‘lava lava’ used for Sudeep is also very nicely done.

Makuta team’s graphics work is admirable and they have taken the range of Telugu cinema to new heights along with Rajamouli. Senthi’s camerawork is good and he has shown the Eega’s vantage angles beautifully. Editing is neat and dialogues are ok.

Verdict :

Eega is a highly entertaining graphics tale that is a must watch. Many people wanted to see what Rajamouli could do without a commercial hero in the lead. For all of them, Eega is a fitting answer. Don’t miss it.

Rating : 4/5

Courtesy:123telugu.com 

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