What most Tamil filmmakers couldn’t achieve, C.V. Kumar (producer of “Pizza”) did in just two years. He not only envisioned an opportunity to introduce the concept of affranchise, but also used it effectively
to deliver a gem like “Pizza 2: Villa”, which is undoubtedly even more deceiving and complex than the original. Film franchise is something new to Tamil cinema, which usually consists of commercial potboilers and senseless comedies, but Karthik Subbaraj’s “Pizza” is an exception.
The film is the second installment in the “Pizza” franchise; the first one was released in 2012. “Pizza”, the first installment starring Vijay Sethupathi and Remya Nambesan, was a big hit. The success of the film has generated a lot of hype around “Pizza 2:Villa”. The film is not a sequel to “Pizza” and does not have any connection with the first part, except for the fact they belong to the same horror genre.
If you have ever wondered how could films possibly deceive us, then you ought to watch “Pizza 2: Villa”, which in no way is a sequel to “Pizza”. There are layers of deception in the film and as you start
peeling it off, you’ll be surprised to find more. The more you try to compare both the films, higher are your chances of getting disappointed.
What I really liked about the film is the fact that it gives hints to understand its climax, which is not easy to comprehend in the first viewing. As the saying goes, ‘devil lies in the details’, everything brilliant about “Pizza 2” lies in the most unexpected scenes and only when you look back at them afterwards, you’ll understand its purpose in the film. At one-hour-and-42-minute, “Pizza 2: Villa” is perhaps
the shortest Tamil film. But the irony is that despite being short, it has few dull moments that might turn off a few.
The film plot revolves around Jebin (Ashok Selvan), a writer who is on the lookout for a publisher to get his first novel published. His father’s death (Nasser) makes him lonely, but he gets emotional as well as mental support from his girlfriend Aarthi (Sanchita Shetty). She tries her best to support him and help him to find a publisher
Jebin comes to know that his father owned a villa in Pudhucherry. As he could not find a publisher, he decides to publish his novel on his own by selling the villa for a hefty price He goes to inspect the villa . But on seeing it, he falls in love with it and decides to stay there and begins writing his second novel. Jebin finds a few paintings in the villa and notices a map hidden in one of them. The map leads him to a hidden store after which strange things begin to happen. But Jebin’s life takes an ugly turn at the villa, which paves way to more unfortunate events.
Deepan has crafted a fairly tight screenplay and moves his scenes at a steady pace. In a conflict between science and superstitions, he has treaded a path that gives scientific explanation of paranormal activities which are largely convincing. Some of his explanations about the purpose for dress code for women and men in temples are quite interesting Nonetheless, kudos to debutant Deepan for narrating an engaging story in less than two hours. Ashok and Sanchita live up to the occasion and deliver outstanding performances. Music and the background score heightens the overall visual experience, while occasional use of visual effects is fitting. “Pizza 2: Villa” ends with the room for a sequel in the offing, which let’s hope is even better. The film is an underdog that deceives you to eventually finish as a winner