Movie Review: Shaitaan (2024)

Last Updated: 12 March 2024 12:31 pm GMT

Being a fan of horror, thriller, and supernatural movies, I have been scouting around for something new to watch since this year began. Along comes Bollywood flick “Shaitaan”, a word commonly used to refer to someone extremely diabolical or the devil incarnate. I managed to catch the movie on Day # 2 of its theatrical release.

Shaitaan is a remake of a Gujarati supernatural thriller that released in 2023, titled “Vash”. The titles in both the languages are apt enough, though the Gujarati title “Vash” is a common Hindi word as well, which means to “take control of” or to “bring under ones’ influence” usually with negative intent in mind. The theme of the movie is black magic and one of the most common ways in which one human can control or cause harm to another is by voodoo dolls. Actor R. Madhavan, plays the role of Vanraaj, a witch doctor who uses voodoo dolls to bring young girls under his influence, and finally sacrifice them to his deity, thereby increasing his supernatural powers.

The film begins with a family of four and the usual family banter. We see Ajay Devgn – as Kabeer, veteran South Indian actress Jyothika Saravanan – as Jyoti, Gujarati actress Janki Bodiwala – as Janvi and Anngad Raaj – as a young and cheeky Dhruv. The family plans a trip to their farmhouse, and like all Indian families, they love to eat long the way. This brings them to stop for some grub, at a dhaba (the Indian word for a rustic style restaurant). What initially seems like a chance encounter, soon turns into a situation where Vanraaj is a bit too eager to befriend the family; especially the young daughter Janvi. While the others are busy gulping down hot chai and greasy parathas, he secretly offers Janvi a sweet and then a pack of biscuits. As soon as Janvi consumes the sweet, she goes into a daze and appears to instantly come under the control of Vanraaj, obeying his every command.

After the meal the family continues their journey to their farmhouse, and begin their holiday. All seems well until a while later Vanraaj appears out of nowhere, initially asking for help in charging his dead phone. Kabeer allows him in and this triggers a series of events that neither the family nor the audience anticipated.

“A one time watch, 
with a sprinkling of suspense and thrill. 
Janki Bodiwala steals the show.”

The film is good enough for a one-time watch. What I liked about this film was that it was “clean” entertainment. Those well versed with recent Indian thriller, horror, or supernatural themed movies, need not be told that sex, sleaze, and a lot of “French” is thrown about to please the masses, not to mention the monotonous “item songs.” Thank goodness this movie had none of that. The first half gave no signs of what was to come next, and was quite well executed. Janvi, played by Janki Bodiwala, did a good job within the confines of her role. It was interesting to see Madhavan tackle a character of this sort and he does reasonably well.

However, the film lost steam after the intermission. The plot was predictable, and a bit of work by the editing department would have made it not just shorter, but crisper. I found a lot of scenes where much more could have been done in terms of camera angles and cinematography, had it been planned better. I was waiting for a scene where Janvi would enact a scene that had visual shock value, but it never came. I would not say it’s Janki Bodiwala’s fault at all. The scene of her perched atop a gas cylinder with a match stick in her hand by far was the best scene, but could have been much better. The dialogue department didn’t do justice to Madhavan, in my opinion. The sleazy one liners in English, which they probably intended to be jokes, fell flat on the face. Madhavan’s character as a tantrik or voodoo doctor, left much to be explored. Ajay and Jyothika, were okay, nothing out of the ordinary and nothing to write home about. There isn’t much music in the movie, and whatever little there is, is not worth a mention. Amit Trivedi as composer and Kumaar as lyricist fail to impress.

The film is okay for a one-time watch, as I have mentioned earlier. There is some sense of suspense, and mystery, though I don’t consider any horror element. There is nothing scary at all and you can be sure you won’t spill your cola or popcorn at any time. The end has a bit of twist, however, that’s something I’d leave for viewers to enjoy, rather than play spoil sport. As of writing this review on 12^th March 2024, the movie has done average business in India and appears to have covered it’s costs, however, its life in theatres may not be long considering it’s weak second half. In case you miss it at your local multiplex, you could catch it later on Netflix, considering that the producers have roped in Netflix as the movies streaming partner.

Trivia: This is an official remake of the highly rated 2023 Gujarati film “Vash“. Actress Janki Bodiwala was seen in the original Gujarati film and has been cast in the same role in the Hindi version – “Shaitaan”.

Release Date: 8th March 2024 (India)
Language: Hindi (Bollywood)
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Cast: Ajay Devgn (as Kabeer), R. Madhavan (as Vanraaj Kashyap), Jyothika Saravanan (as Jyoti), Janki Bodiwala (as Janvi) and others.
Director: Vikas Bahl
Production Company/ Banner: Jio Studios, Devgn Films, Panorama Studios
Duration: 132 min

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