A prequel to a film is something Kollywood is new to. With Billa-2, the seeds have now been sown. It is always tricky to score music for a second film in a franchise - the music shouldn't loose the essence it created in the first edition; On the other hand, repetition is not an option as well. A right balance of carrying the juice from the previous edition and refreshingly new tunes is what would strike gold. Let's see if Yuvan has struck gold with the album of Billa-2.
1. Edho Oru Mayakkam
This song is all set to boom through discotheques and pubs in Chennai in the near future with its catchy lyrics, techno music in which Yuvan seems to be revelling in the last 2-3 years. The inclusion of the nadhaswaram portion is genial stuff. Lively renditions from Yuvan, Suvi & Tanvi support amply.
2. Unakkulle Mirugam
A song that talks of the hero's re-invention is something that Kollywood is not new to. This one fits into that category. Yuvan has went completely Rock and Metal with this one. Ranjith's work is impressive, the lyrics too making immense sense. The juxtaposition of the famous Billa tone makes this the
Naan meendum naanaga vendum version of Billa-2.
3. Gangster
This one's my pick of the album. Again, Yuvan gets into the techno mode and a plethora of synthetic music rings in your ears to create a nice buzz. The lyrics elevate David Billa's heroic status to higher pedestals. When Yuvan sings the Billa tune and croons
'David Billa,Billa is the monster', the song gets narcissistic but that's how David Billa is and that's why it fits perfectly!
4. Idhayam
This one's a surprise melody among songs high on beats. Here again, the lyrics are worth mentioning. A calm loop in the background, interludes of veenai,flute and tabela doing their rounds and a sweet and spotless rendition by Shweta combine to make this song the surprise package of the album.
5. Madurai Ponnu
An uncanny music to begin with catches attention, the regular kuthu beats that follow provides contrast and Andrea singing the 'bad-girl' lines makes this a routine Yuvan song. However, the re-jig of the music used in 'Ajith-Premgi' Mankatha sequence in the form of Nadaswaram shows Yuvan's mischievous smartness! This one's for the theatres.
6. Billa-2 Theme
Billa-1's theme stands among the best of themes in Kollywood. There was always a doubt if Yuvan could come up with something comparably good in Billa-2. However, he seems to have come up with something that's even a tad better! The inital portions of the theme are in no way inferior to the Zack Hemsey touch of the Inception theme and the latter portions with the Billa whistle thematically represent the mean ruthless & calm villainy of the don that Billa is! This music is sure to set the screen on fire when it gets played.
Overall, the album has variety, the songs bear energy and the music appears to be highly relevant to what a Billa story can offer. To answer the very first question on whether Yuvan has struck gold, it is safe to say
'Yes, he surely has!'
