Movie Review: Pizza II: Villa (Tamil)

Pizza, last year's critically acclaimed sleeper hit, was just the sort of a refreshingly original movie I had seen in recent years. So when I heard there was a sequel in the pipeline, I rolled my eyes and thought "Oh! Not again! Is this going to be a film simply to milk the franchise for what it's worth?" But I was pleasantly surprised and how!

Pizza II: Villa

A struggling crime-novel writer (Ashok Selvan as Jebin), after the death of his father (Nasser), discovers he has inherited a villa in Puducherry. Knee-deep in debts, he decides to sell-off the property much to the displeasure of his girlfriend Aarthi (Sanchita Shetty), who, being an aspiring painter, takes an immediate liking to the house's antique furniture and artwork.

However with no other place to go, Jebin decides to move in temporarily to write his second novel, thus setting the ball rolling for the strange inexplicable events that follow. Digging deeper into the mystery and realising that evil forces may be behind it all, Jebin tries to outsmart his prescient destiny. But can he?

With a runtime of about 102 minutes, Villa is less of a horror film and more of a gripping suspense thriller that unfolds slowly while inching towards a devious twist in the climax. And unlike Pizza, the story isn't a hoax (it reminded me of Stephen King's Duma Key nevertheless). Ably assisted in the technical department by Maryan, Santhosh Narayanan and Deepak Kumar Padhy, director Deepan Chakravarthy gets the ambiance perfectly right.

The mood is consistently eerie, and the genre's tried and tested tropes have been effectively utilized to provide ample thrills. Though in the end we are left with less than satisfactory answers for the supernatural happenings, Villa is a neatly executed entertainer that will excite you on several levels. This is a villa of horrors that's worth a visit!