Shaitaan Review: Will The 'Black Magic' Spell Work In Theaters? Find Out!

In Bollywood, there have been numerous films that have triumphed over the evil of goodness, and watching these films becomes a craze. Horror films have been a staple in Bollywood for a long time, from '1920' to 'Bhoot' or from Anushka Sharma's 'Pari' to Tripti Dimri's 'Bulbbul', people eagerly watch these terrifying films. This year, Ajay Devgn has come up with a horror thriller film called 'Shaitaan'. Inspired by the Gujarati film 'Vas', Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan's film 'Shaitaan' may have black magic, but is it the kind of magic that can elevate it to the league of horror films?

Story: The story begins with Kabir (Ajay Devgn) and his family. The film starts with a happy and playful family moment as Kabir goes on a holiday with his wife Jyoti (Jyotika), daughter Jahnavi (Janhvi Bodiwala), and son Dhruv (Angad Raj) to their farmhouse. If you have seen the trailer of the film, you would understand that initially, happy moments are depicted, but tragedy strikes afterward. Kabir stops at a roadside eatery with his family, where he meets Vanraj (R. Madhavan). During their conversation, Vanraj offers a laddoo to Jahnavi, after which she falls under his influence. As the story progresses, Kabir takes his family to their farmhouse, where Jyoti sees Vanraj at her door, and what happens next in the film? To find out, you'll have to head to the theaters.

Direction and Writing: After directing films like 'Chillar Party' 'Queen', and 'Super 30', Vikas Bahl has taken the helm of direction for the film 'Shaitaan'. In terms of direction, Vikas's hard work is evident, but the weakest point of his work is the weak grip on the story.

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The story of the film is written by Amil Kyaan Khan and Krishnadev Yagnik. It's worth mentioning that Krishnadev Yagnik had also written and directed the Gujarati film 'Vas', and now he has attempted to make 'Shaitaan' a bit different from the Gujarati film 'Vas'. Speaking of the story, while the first half of the film seemed to build up the story until the interval, the second half also attempts to pace up the narrative. However, despite all efforts, it tends to become boring.

Director Vikas Bahl has tried his best to handle the film with excellent actors like Amit, but the shortcomings of the story have made his job very difficult. Several lengthy scenes will also bore you, such as the excessively long - happy moments at the beginning of the film or Jahnavi dancing for a long time under Vanraj's influence inside the house. Not feeling scared in a horror thriller - these are all the film's negative points.

Acting: Apart from Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan, Jyotika's presence in 'Shaitaan' strengthens the film. Madhavan's acting and expressions are fantastic, while Janhvi Bodiwala, who plays Ajay Devgn's daughter in the film, has done an excellent job. Jyotika, after a long time, has returned to Hindi cinema and portrayed the role of a mother excellently.

Technical Aspects:

There was a need for a little more work on the film's editing, which seemed apparent from the beginning of the film, and for this, Sandeep Francis can be held responsible. But the truth is that Sandeep probably couldn't edit the 2 hours 2 minutes film more, otherwise, the film would have been shorter. In a horror film, the essence comes when the background score is strong, and Amit Trivedi has done an excellent job in this department.

Overall, with excellent actors and strong music, 'Shaitaan' marks the first time R. Madhavan and Ajay Devgn are seen together on the big screen. The film can be watched for the performances of Ajay-Jyotika, R. Madhavan, and the outstanding acting of Janhvi Bodiwala.

I would rate Shaitaan' 3 stars

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