- Release Date: 08/03/2024
- Cast: Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, Jyotika, Janki Bodiwala, Anngad Raaj
- Director: Vikas Bahl
“Shaitaan” is a remake of “Vash,” a little-known Gujarati film that is now nowhere to be found on the OTT. The few people who were able to watch the film in theatres or on OTT before it was wiped out clean informed me that it was one of the most unsettling, emotionally poignant, and sad films of the year. The film ended with a terrible tragedy for the protagonist. Even though the villain meets a gruesome end and is left paying for what he had done to the protagonist and his family, there is no silver lining for the protagonist as he has already lost everything that he held dear. In “Shaitaan”, director Vikas Bahl, who otherwise makes a frame-to-frame copy of the original, changes the climax to suit a more Bollywood-ish sensibility where nothing bad can ultimately happen to the hero and his family. Having prior knowledge of how the original culminated and having been moved by it, the ending of “Shaitaan” disappointed me to a great extent. If I said that the ending was the only issue that I had with this film, I would be lying.
The Story:
Shaitaan is the story of Kabir (Ajay Devgn) and Jyoti (Jyotika), who have two lovely children, Janvi (Janki Bodiwala) and Dhruv (Anngad Raaj). During a weekend getaway at their farmhouse on the outskirts of the city, the family meets a mysterious man, Vanraj (R Madhavan), who starts controlling Janvi in a sinister manner. It doesn’t take the family too long to understand that their daughter is under the spell of this man who wants her parents to dedicate her to his mission and service. As night falls and Vanraj plays one sinister game after another to force Kabir and Jyoti to do his bidding, the parents grapple for cover and means to somehow save their daughter. While they are at it, they must also contend with the enormous risk that their daughter now poses to their son and anyone else in the house.
Emotionally Hollow in Major Portions of the Film:
The things that Vanraj makes Janvi do are horrific. The parents should have been absolutely petrified by it, and they do show those expressions in some brief moments. Sadly, most of the time, Ajay Devgn and Jyotika are left to react and behave in a manner that felt extremely generic, by the book, and uninspiring. I will hold the writing and direction of the film more responsible for this lack of punch in these portions of the film than the performances of the actors. It was the task of the director to marshal his forces. Vikas Bahl had the original to take visual cues from, and even when it came to the dialogue and writing, all he had to do was watch “Vash” and translate it to make sense in Hindi. With all that, now his singular responsibility was to ensure that he extracted the most impactful and disarming performances from a group of actors who are some of the best that we have in India currently. Interestingly, he didn’t fully succeed in doing that, and this was a big surprise for me.
One has to remember that the film is primarily about these four actors fighting it out among themselves. Hence if the performances lose their grip on the audience, the proceedings quickly become pedestrian and boring. The film desperately needed to be cut into a crispier edit. This would also not have given the audience enough time to look long and hard for flaws in the acting and execution of the film. Sadly, none of these issues are dealt with in the kind of seriousness that it should have been.
R Madhavan is fantastic as the pure personification of evil:
Had it not been for R Madhavan’s stellar performance, this would have been a far lesser film. He is the best example of how to be enterprising, immersive, and impactful in a performance that is instrumental in saving a film. I have to admit that his role had a lot more opportunity to grab eyeballs, but he still plays the character with such unabashed charm and craze that it is hard to not be in awe of his performance. It was extremely difficult to pepper comedy in between sequences where he is unleashing unbelievable horrors on the family, and yet his performance is so powerful and inspiring that even when he tries to pull off one-liners and sly comedy, it works. I somehow felt that he was wasted in the climax, which was terribly envisioned and executed.
Janki Bodiwala is phenomenal as Janvi:
Apart from Madhavan, one cannot fault Janki Bodiwala’s performance as Janvi. The character needed an extremely physical approach to the essay, which Bodiwala brings to the character. She played the same character in “Vash” and knows it all too well. She makes you understand and feel the character’s pain. The way she emotes feels authentic for a girl who is under the spell of an evil man. I absolutely loved the few scenes where she is shown going violent against her parents and brother. The scene where she goes after her brother will send shivers down your spine. Having said that, every time I looked at her, I always understood that she was trying to portray the character in such a way that reminded us that underneath all the monstrous actions and things that we were seeing her do, Janvi was still understanding the quantum of the horrors that she was committing. This characteristic of her performance felt poignant and impactful and elevated her already terrific performance to a higher level.
Very little unfolds in a rather long runtime:
There were moments in the film when my attention shifted from the immersive performances of Madhavan and Bodiwala. These were the moments when I noticed a lack of material to sustain interest and keep us hooked in a rather long runtime of the film. The film mostly meanders with moments of genuine horror popping up here and there. The thrills are not worked up to a crescendo, and the fact that we are able to predict every twist and turn in the film only spoils the fun of the narrative. The only thing that makes us sit through is the chemistry and interplay between R Madhavan and Janki Bodiwala, who sell every aspect of the story. It was indeed sad to see someone of the calibre of Ajay Devgn reduced to playing just another watered-down version of Vijay Salaskar (Drishyam). He neither looks horrified nor outraged at all that is happening to his family. Jyotika does bring in some punch in some of the scenes, especially one where she physically harms Madhavan. Sadly, these moments are too few and too far apart.
Lacklustre Climax:
The climax of the film felt like one that was straight out of a Ramsay film. I have the highest respect for Ramsay horror films, but we all know that they were always made in a certain way, and realism and impact were never their forte. After two-thirds of “Shaitaan” unfolding in a manner that underlined its rooted nature, the climax of the film suddenly goes so bonkers that it feels like a totally different film. Taking a departure from the original film, “Shaitaan” tries to rewrite the story in such a manner that we leave the theatre with a good taste in our mouths, meaning that the family is given a happy ending. This, for me, was the biggest negative of the entire film as this happy ending is neither deserving nor designed well enough to have the kind of impact that was necessary for a story and film that are this twisted. I couldn’t help but go back again and again to the climax of the original and feel what a waste of opportunity “Shaitaan” was in terms of its storytelling. If that was not enough, the film’s presentation was also tweaked, with the execution of many scenes changed and the amount of physicality that the characters bring to their rendition altered, leading to some serious lack of impact.
Final Words:
For someone who hasn’t seen the original, “Shaitaan” might prove to be an interesting watch. The film benefits greatly from stellar performances by R Madhavan and Janki Bodiwala. Sadly, the film suffers from a lack of material to sustain interest throughout its lengthy runtime and a lacklustre climax that deviates from the original’s impact. While Madhavan shines as the embodiment of evil and Bodiwala impresses with her portrayal of Janvi, the film fails to fully capitalize on their performances. Despite its flaws, “Shaitaan” remains a watchable film for fans of the genre, but ultimately falls short of its potential due to inconsistent execution and narrative missteps.
Rating: 3/5 (3 out of 5 Stars)
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