Ajay Devgan’s first film of the year “Shaitan” directed by Vikas Bahl has hit the theaters. Ajay Devgan who often does action and comedy films has come this time on the screen to scare the audience. ‘Shaitan’ is the Hindi remake of the Gujarati film ‘Vash’ released in the year 2023.
The story revolves around Kabir (Ajay Devgan) and his jovial family, who go on a holiday to a farmhouse with his wife Jyotika, daughter Jhanvi (Janki Bodiwala) and son Dhruv (Angad Raj). There he meets a stranger Vanraj (R Madhavan), who helps Kabir a little but this acquaintance proves to be very heavy for Kabir.
Actually, Vanraj, who considers himself God, puts Jhanvi under his control by doing black magic. He wants to take Jhanvi with him and when Kabir refuses, he forces Jhanvi to do everything from eating tea leaves, dancing non-stop, laughing wildly to making deadly attacks on her own parents and brother. How does Kabir free his daughter from the clutches of Madhavan and who is Vanraj really? You will get the answers to these questions after watching the film.
Shaitan has been directed by Vikas Bahl. Before this he had made films like Queen so there were a lot of expectations from him. He had cut the trailer correctly. But he couldn’t do the same with the film. The star cast was good. The atmosphere in the film was also good. But the weak story, natural ending and incomplete points spoil the taste of the film. It seems that the second part has been done in a hurry. The ending of the film seems beyond incomprehensible. Why Madhavan’s character becomes a devil, how he becomes so, his background has been completely ignored, which is strange. There and many such questions which wander in the mind and this proves to be the weak link for the film.
Janaki Bodiwala, who played the daughter’s role in the original film, has played the role of Jhanvi in the remake. This entire story was based on Jhanvi. Vanraj just had to speak the words. We would have got an idea of how dire their consequences could be by looking at Jhanvi’s condition. Janaki’s character could have gone over-the-top on many occasions but she doesn’t let this happen. Janaki has also received a lot of praise for this character in the Gujarati film ‘Vash’ as well.
At the same time, Madhavan has again shown what a great actor he is. He literally is Shaitan’s USP. Madhavan has lived the character deeply. But scenes where he is seen becoming a little ferocious and laughing, there you receive some disappointment because the cuteness of his face remains intact.
Ajay Devgan and Jyotika have also portrayed the helplessness of helpless parents through their eyes very well. However, considering Ajay Devgan’s stature, the audience expects some more strong scenes from his part. Technically the film is strong. Sudhakar Reddy and Ekanti’s cinematography, Amit Trivedi’s music and Sandeep Francis’ tight editing do not let your attention wander.
Nevertheless, this film, which does not adopt the common Bollywood tricks of horror films like lights switching on and off, moving upside down and exorcisms, can be watched once for the good acting of Madhavan and Janaki. If you go expecting a lot, you may be disappointed.
