Wednesday, Jul 16, 2014
Akshay Oberoi and Parvathy Omanakuttan, who star in Pizza 3D, which opens on Thursday in the UAE, are squeamish when it comes to the word “horror”. They prefer to classify their film as a “supernatural thriller”.
And rightly so, because horror films in Bollywood are often considered an inferior, second-class genre. It may have gore and sleaze aplenty, but respectability continues to elude these films.
“In Bollywood, so far, we have made a certain, specific kind of horror film. Call it a Ramsay thing — even people who have done those horror films, the media consider those actors as not successful, even if the films are,” said Oberoi, referring to the Ramsay brothers, who specialised in churning out low-brow scary films in the 1990s.
There were no compelling storylines in those bizarre films, led by relatively unknown actors, but the films were designed to titillate and terrify.
The leading pair behind Pizza 3D, directed by Akshay Akkineni, is convinced that Bollywood fans will be introduced to a new set of scary tactics with their latest film.
“Pizza is a high-concept film with a good storyline. We haven’t necessarily inserted commercial numbers… We have a beautiful woman working in the film but we have not made her expose herself,” said Oberoi, his strikingly light eyes darting towards his co-star and former Miss India winner, Omanakuttan. In the past, Hindi gore-fests have made a killing by showcasing scantily-clad women looking suitably scared. But in this one, Oberoi plays a pizza delivery man on an errand to a deliver food to a house filled with dark secrets.
“His life and his wife’s life are turned upside down with that one delivery order… It will be a thrilling ride. The film is in the same genre as The Usual Suspects,” said Oberoi.
Starring Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects (1995) is considered one of the must-see heist films and won Spacey an Oscar in a supporting role. Such comparisons may seem hyperbolic from actors who are relatively new in the industry, but Omanakuttan swears that they have a good product in their hands.
“We didn’t want to take away anything from the films. The sound effects, the camera work, the 3D, sci-fi effects are of high quality and are not unintentionally comic. You may wear 3D glasses but there are no things popping out at us just because it’s possible. The thrills are atmospheric,” said Omanakuttan. Both had to go for rigorous auditions to get the parts. In Oberoi’s case, it was some relentless cold-calling to the producer of Pizza 3D, Bejoy Nambiar, that helped him bag it.
“Just like every struggling actor out there, cold-calling filmmakers was my job. I had seen Bejoy’s Shatiaan and I loved his work. He never answered my calls but in the 1,000th time he picked up and asked me: ‘Kaun hai tu aur kya chayihe tumhe’ [who are you and what do you want],” recalled Oberoi. His persistent haunting paid off and it led to a meeting where he was offered the TV series MTV Rush, directed by Nambiar. During that stint, Nambiar had promised Oberoi a leading part in one of his future projects. That was in July 2012.
“And one day, I happened to be in Chennai and Bejoy just called me and told me to watch a Tamil film called Pizza. I was near Sathyam theatres and I went and checked it out. I just loved the film and told him that it was a great film. His response: I will play the lead in the Hindi one. Wow,” said Oberoi. At that point, director Nambiar had purchased the rights to the Tamil Film.
“But it’s not a scene-by-scene adaptation. Its skeleton is the same but we have heightened the thrills and the scary elements,” said Oberoi. For the 26-year-old Miss India 2008, Pizza 3D represented her ultimate dream.
“I wanted to experiment the actor side of me and not just my glamour side: that is something which I do on a daily basis. Fashion and ramp is a part of my life. For me, to look glamorous, looking good in a particular scene is not too much of a challenge. So, I feel blessed to be a part of such a project.” For both actors, the success of their first breakthrough film is paramount. While Omanakuttan was born and raised in Kerala, Oberoi has a tenuous Bollywood clan connect. His cousin is Vivek Oberoi and his uncle is actor Suresh Oberoi.
“An actor is all what I wanted to be and I feel as if I am in Bollywood at a good time. There’s an audience for my kind of films now. There may be audience who want to see those six songs and that ghissi-pitti kahaani [predictable] dramas. But there’s an also an audience who are craving intelligent thriller films. We are moving towards that with Pizza 3D.”
Don’t Miss It!
Pizza 3D will release in UAE theatres this Thursday.
By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Senior Reporter
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
