'Shaitaan' review: Thrilling, creepy but bogged down by its writing
Director Vikas Bahl's supernatural thriller Shaitaan hit cinema halls on Friday. Featuring a stellar cast comprising Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, Jyotika, Janki Bodiwala, and child actor Anngad Raaj, Shaitaan will give you the chills. But a weak storyline eventually takes down the film with it. The film meets the expectations its trailer set but only till the first half. Read our review.
An unwelcomed guest, black magic, and a possessed daughter...
A family lets a stranger enter their house. What's supposed to be a 15-minute stay, turns into a horrific night when the stranger, Vanraj (Madhavan), uses black magic to control Kabir (Devgn) and Jyoti (Jyotika)'s teenage daughter Janhvi (Bodiwala). Vanraj commands Janhvi to do bizarre things including attempting to kill her brother Dhruv (Raaj). How they escape Vanraj, forms the rest of the story.
It's an all-and-all R Madhavan film
Madhavan's acting needs no introduction. With every film he takes up, he outperforms himself. Here too, he does the same. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Madhavan is the saving grace in Shaitaan. His performance can go down as one of the best villains in recent times. Throughout, he maintains a calm face but brings out the evil through his laughter and commands.
Devgn plays a 'Drishyam'-like father
Shaitaan's Kabir and Drishyam's Vijay Salgaonkar are a lot similar. They are fathers who would go to any extent to keep their family safe and protect their daughter. Although Devgn delivers an above-average act, he as Kabir, isn't at par with Salgaonkar. It's not Devgn who is to be blamed; his character isn't developed as that of Madhavan's, who ultimately is the star here.
Bodiwala does a stellar job; Jyotika lacked depth
Bodiwala as a possessed Janhvi is terrific and terrifying at the same time. Several sequences such as the tea leaves-eating and sitting on the gas cylinder have been written and acted well. She is a pleasant surprise here. Unfortunately, Jyotika, who has returned to Bollywood after many years, barely has any dialogues. Her role is largely restricted to standing and shedding tears.
A thrilling first half is let down by sloppy climax
Shaitaan keeps you on the edge till the interval. Numerous nail-biting scenes make it a thrilling watch, showing the good work of the writing team. However, it doesn't fare beyond it. After the interval, Shaitaan's writing seems a hurried and confused affair. The climax too isn't impactful. The writers failed to establish the reason behind Vanraj's act or why he chose Kabir's daughter.
A brilliant title track but insignificant BGM
Its title track Aisa Mai Shaitaan is composed by Amit Trivedi, penned by Kumaar, and performed by Raftaar. The dark tone of the music works in line with the film and is catchy too. It plays after the interval to show Madhavan in his evil elements, making it my favorite moment of the film. Its background music (BGM) works only on some occasions though.
Can watch it for Madhavan's evil act
Shaitaan's trailer set a lot of expectations for me, some of which were met before the interval. But beyond that, it let me down by becoming so predictable. However, I can't take away the fact that Shaitaan is backed by some excellent performances, especially those of Madhavan and Bodiwala. Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars (an extra for Madhavan, of course).
