Pizza 3 review: Mohan Govind’s ‘Pizza’ is the best among the franchise

Director Mohan Govind’s Pizza 3, which is the third instalment of the popular franchise that came into being following the immense success of Karthik Subbaraj’s Pizza (2012), is a reasonably good horror thriller.

The plot of Pizza 3 has nothing to do with the earlier stories in the franchise. It is set in a restaurant.

The story begins with a father returning home with a small ancient Egyptian statue which could easily be mistaken for a doll.

Though he does not know its history, he desires to keep the antique piece safe.

Little does he know that the statue was created by an Egyptian princess several centuries ago to contain all the evil energies that were around her at a time when her kingdom was surrounded by enemy troops.

The powerful statue, we are told, has the power to invoke evil spirits around the place it is placed.

Soon after, the scene of action shifts to a newly started restaurant that is being run by an enterprising youngster called Nalan (Ashwin Kakumanu).

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Horror of the doll

Nalan is in love with Kayal (Pavithra Marimuthu), an app creator. She is now looking to create an app through which one can communicate with evil spirits.

However, Kayal’s brother Prem, a police officer, is not impressed with Kayal’s interest in Nalan and is looking for an opportunity to get rid of Nalan.

It is under these circumstances that one day, a customer who visits Nalan’s restaurant brings a doll which he forgets to take back with him.

Soon after, strange things begin to happen at the restaurant. A sweet with a divine taste keeps appearing in the restaurant’s refrigerator and the hotel staff think it is Nalan who has come up with a new recipe.

Initially, Nalan is surprised but not worried. However, he starts observing some movement in the night.

He instals a video camera inside his hotel’s kitchen to investigate and finds out that there are evil spirits moving inside. What happens next is what Pizza 3 is all about.

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Best among the three

To Mohan Govind’s credit, Pizza 3 is easily the best of the three parts of the franchise.

The story takes its time to gain intensity, but when it does, it commands your undivided attention.

True, like in most other horror films in Tamil cinema, the spirits in Pizza 3, too, look for revenge. The reason why they seek revenge makes the film special.

The director took inspiration for this part of his story from recent crime incidents that shook the conscience of the State.

Performances

The film has neat performances coming in from all its cast.

Ashwin Kakumanu, who is a seriously underrated actor, does an excellent job of playing Nalan. He effortlessly slips into the character and makes you forget that you are watching a film.

Pavitra Marimuthu as Kayal delivers what is expected of her.

Gaurav, who delivered three fantastic films as a director, plays the role of a cop and an overprotective brother to perfection.

Kaali Venkat as Daamu, one of the chefs in the restaurant, Anupama Kumar as Rani and Abi Nakshatra as Mitra also come up with fine performances.

However, the best performance in this film comes from Kavitha Bharathi who plays the character of Viswanathan.

The veteran actor delivers more than what is expected of him. His fine performance adds credibility to the plot and gets you more involved in the story.

On the technical front, Arun Raj’s background score is apt and plays a significant role in intensifying the tension one feels in crucial sequences.

Cinematographer Prabhu Raghav’s visuals are easy on the eye, though some of the scenes require them to be shot in the dark.

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Final take

Have no second thoughts about Pizza 3. For, this is the best pizza you might have had until now.

(Views expressed here are personal.)