Shaitaan Movie Review: Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan’s black magic thriller is spine-chilling despite being slow-paced

Film:
Shaitaan

Director: Vikas Bahl

Star cast: Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, Jyotika, Janki Bodiwala, Anngad Raaj

Runtime: 2 hours

Platform: Theatre

Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan have joined hands with Vikas Bahl for the psychological thriller Shaitaan. The movie is an official remake of the critically acclaimed Gujarati movie Vash. While Gujarati cinema boasts of family entertainers, a thriller like Vash showcasing black magic was a novel factor there. While Bollywood has witnessed movies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Phoonk, Raaz 3 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, among a few based on the concept of black magic. However, does Ajay Devgn starrer manage to send chills down your spine? Let’s find out in this review of Shaitaan

Read the review of Shaitaan here:

Storyline

Ajay Devgn (Kabir) lives a happy life with his wife Jyotika (Jyoti) and kids Janki Bodiwala (Janvi) and Anngad Raaj (Dhruv). However, tragedy strikes them after they are on a vacation at their farmhouse and they unknowingly encounter R Madhavan who wreaks havoc in their lives with his evil intentions. R Madhavan (Vanraj) forcefully seeks refuge at Kabir’s happy abode and then hypnotizes his daughter Janvi to the extent she ends up harming herself and even attempts to kill her parents. Will they be able to get her out of the black magic?

Highlights of the movie

Intriguing plot and direction: With this movie, Vikas Bahl has explored the topic and evil effects of Black Magic. While we often dismiss the concept, the way he has built a narrative and sunk us into this gripping and dark world makes us believe that such things do exist even today, if not in metropolitan cities.

Aptly portrayed father’s plight: While we have seen a mother’s struggle to protect the child in every possible way, through this movie, we explore how a father can also fight hard for his children. Towards the climax, Ajay Devgn’s character Kabir appears and mouths dialogue explaining how a father can fight even with God when his child is harmed.

Technical aspects: Be it Tanhaji, Runway 34, or Bholaa, Ajay Devgn’s films undoubtedly have top-notch VFX, cinematography and complimenting background score. With Shaitaan he attempts to provide yet another unforgettable experience. Sudhakar Reddy lends ample of support to the narrative with his visuals to build the tense tone of the film. Be it the cloudy skies, the murky weather, the cool rains, or the bright red flow of blood from the killings. The DoP builds the right amount of tension with the visuals. Apart from the camera work, what makes this thriller intellectually engaging is the eerie background score. The VFX work used in climax scenes and action sequences to enhance Madhavan’s menacing avatar is undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of the movie.

Star Performances

Another major highlight of the movie is the performances by the whole star cast. Ajay Devgn, as expected, delivers a stupendous performance. He nicely gets back into the skin of the character of Vijay and gives no reason to complain. From showcasing the helplessness of a father to getting in intense avatar to fight, the actor aces every emotion. On the other hand, Madhavan as a menacing devil also turns out to be a scene-stealer thanks to his characterization and performance. Janki Bodiwala who was also part of the original film, shines in the remake as well. She aces the role of a possessed girl who scares us at one point. Apart from them, Jyotika and Anngad Raaj manage to leave a mark with their act.

Drawbacks

Dragged screenplay: Shaitaan isn’t completely free of grey areas. While the movie has a runtime of only 2 hours, the editing could have been a little tauter. In an attempt to build the environment, the makers have dragged the narrative and so the first half seems snail-paced. While Shaitaan keeps you hooked, one wishes the tension levels could have increased. A film like this should have had more edge-of-the-seat moments for an added impact.

Lack of Depth: Vikas’ film suffers majorly because of the unsatisfactory execution. The screenplay is thrilling and exciting but in bits and pieces, making it a decent big-screen experience. While how black magic takes over one’s life is shown well, we wish to know the backstory of the sinister Vanraj.

Conclusion

On the whole, Shaitaan is a passable affair if you are intrigued by psychological thrillers. Even though it manages to induce goosebumps, the slow build-up of the narrative can come across as a hiccup. However, impressive performances by Ajay Devgn, Jyotika, R Madhavan make it a watch worth once.

Watch Shaitaan trailer after the review

Also Read: Laapataa Ladies REVIEW: Kiran Rao’s social comedy sheds light on women empowerment laced with subtle humour