Hindi
cinema
is
slowly
waking
up
to
hardcore
thrillers.
Earlier
this
year,
Abbas-Mustan's
Race
chartered
a
totally
novel
path.
The
twists-n-turns
in
the
plot
moved
in
a
serpentine
manner,
with
the
viewer
finding
it
difficult
to
guess
what
the
outcome
would
be.
Woodstock
Villa,
directed
by
Hansal
Mehta,
also
leaves
the
viewer
guessing
what's
in
store
next.
The
twists
in
this
12
reeler
may
not
catch
you
by
complete
surprise,
but
have
ample
shock
value
at
times.
Woodstock
Villa
is
treated
more
like
a
Hollywood
flick.
The
plotline,
the
sequence
of
events,
the
execution
of
the
subject,
the
hand-held/jerky
camera
movements,
the
grainy
look
--
this
is
no
been-there-seen-that
kind
of
a
movie
experience
[at
least
for
Indian
audiences].
But
a
film
molded
on
the
lines
of
an
English
film
should
start
and
end
without
any
diversion.
In
this
case,
the
obstacles
are
the
songs.
Frankly,
Woodstock
Villa
would've
made
a
stronger
impact
had
it
been
a
songless
fare,
since
the
songs
are
like
unwanted
guests.
Overall,
a
decent
fare
that
appeals
more
to
those
with
an
appetite
for
hardcore
thrillers.
A
successful
businessman's
[Arbaaz
Khan]
wife
[Neha
Uberoi]
disappears
one
night.
She
has
been
kidnapped.
The
captor
[Sikandar]
demands
a
heavy
ransom,
but
things
go
wrong
as
the
wife
is
murdered.
The
captor
buries
the
body
at
a
secluded
spot.
But
the
mystery
only
deepens.
Story first published: Thursday, September 4, 2008, 15:34 [IST]