"Pizza 2:Villa", starring Ashok Selvan and Sanchita Shetty, has opened to positive reviews from critics.
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.
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 support from his girlfriend Aarthi (Sanchita Shetty).
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. But on seeing it, he 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.
Critics say that the film is gripping and technically strong with crisp editing and good background music. The film is directed by debutant Deepan Chakravarthy and produced by CV Kumar, who happens to be the producer of "Pizza".
"Pizza 2:Villa" has director-actor SJ Surya in a cameo. The film's editing is done by Leo John Paul and the background score is by Santhosh Narayanan.
Here is the review roundup of "Pizza 2:Villa":
Behindwoods Review Board says, "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."
Indiaglitz says, "'Villa' is a posthaste film, wrapping up in under two hours, with no drag or boring sequences. But the story gets deeper, especially towards the climax, which takes a keen eye to grasp the rapid flash of crux instantly. And here's a word to the eager audience - all of us would have watched quite many scary movies, but this is like none of them. Do not head to the screen with prejudice or bias, for 'Villa' is a new bottle with recent wine. Riding high on a lot of facts with a pinch of superstition, 'Villa' is a clear, quick and clean entertainer."
Rajiv Menon of Desimartini says, "It's neither a horror nor thriller film, it heavily relies on suspense and deception. The use of limited characters doesn't steer away one's attention from the film, which is not so easy to comprehend in the first watching."
Senior film journalist Sreedhar Pillai says that the film is not spooky and has an open ended climax that provides room for a third installment. He also appreciated the technical aspects of the film including editing and the background scores.
Verdict: Gripping Entertainer that Engages the Audience
