If you’re the sort of horror junkie who feeds on Hollywood and Japanese versions (Japan is to horror what Italy is to pizza), don’t expect to see something you haven’t seen before. But by Bollywood standards, this film easily outdoes most of what passes for horror.

As pizzas go, this is Peppy Paneer. Far from authentic, but still enjoyable, as long as it’s well made.

After watching Akshay Akkineni’s “Pizza”, I took a look at the Wikipedia entry for the movie’s Tamil version. The minor deviations from the original plot seem to have veered Akkineni’s directorial debut badly off track. This “Pizza” may have the right ingredients but it’s sadly served half-baked.

If you think Pizza 3D is a run-of-the-mill horror flick, think again. The horror is just the tip of a chilly but surprising ice berg. It’s more intelligent than your average Hindi film. The way it pans out and the artful way in which it is presented deserve a standing applause. Finally, the young brigade catch up to Hollywood. James Wan beware. Writer/director Karthik Subbaraj (writer of this film and director of the Tamil original) and director Akshay Akkineni know their horror.

At the start of the film you are assured the ingredients are just right, but as the movie progresses, you realize that Akshay Akkineni has crossed the line when it comes to stretching a horror sequence – it goes from being spooky to horrific to a joke. There’s too much of mixed toppings of pepperoni, mushrooms and onions. In the end, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

‘Pizza’ manages to revive a genre that was long forgotten in Bollywood, and one that was unfairly reduced to soppy musical romances by the Bhatt brothers.

Hopefully, Akkineni will manage to wipe away the damage.

You can’t take away the fact that the story is a novel spin on a familiar setting and you won’t see the end coming. It’s certainly better than the likes of Vikram Bhatt’s hilarious garbage, but it’s a lesser film than its original counterpart. Pop in the DVD of the 2012 movie before you head to see this version.

Oven fresh, “Pizza” revitalises a genre losing its bite in Hindi cinema. Often horror stories end up becoming claustrophobic in the haunted house but here it keeps breathing as Akshay doesn’t give up on intrinsic logic and sense of humour.

If you are not squeamish about worm-infested pizzas or bloodied ghosts, you shouldn’t hesitate to take a bite into this one. It’s appropriately nauseating but doesn’t go overboard with gore and relies on tinkling with your head.