Ajay Devgn, Madhavan, Jyotika and Janki Bodiwala have teamed up for a supernatural horror thriller called ‘Shaitaan’ which will be remembered in Bollywood for a few years. Shaitaan is Hindi remake of Gujarati film ‘Vash’, which proved to be a benchmark film in Gujarati Cinema. Expecting a film like Vash in Gujarati cinema was shocking and surprising at the same time. Vash was directed by Chello Divas fame Krishnadev Yagnik who is known for making light hearted drama and comedy films. Yagnik went out of his comfort zone and made a pathbreaking film like Vash in Gujarati.
Shaitaan is an honest remake which is not superior to Vash, but is better in some aspects. Shaitaan is much more detailed and logically better with a better production value (thanks to its budget). Shaitaan gives a proper explanation of all the things which were left unanswered in Vash. In terms of content and quality, Vash has to be one level up than Shaitaan, as it’s an original film and deserves the credit for it.
Shaitaan can be termed as Drishyam set in a supernatural world, where Ajay Devgn fights for his family and wins the battle at the end (this is a predictable spoiler). Shaitaan is a story of victory of good over evil. The film has a certain resemblance with Drishyam, in terms of characters and their motives.
In terms of performances, each and every actor is fabulous. No one can come close to Ajay Devgn in terms of intense acting, and Shaitaan proves it once again. Ajay Devgn speaks with his eyes in Shaitaan which is his USP. He is a protective father and a perfect husband, which every child or wife expects. This was a tailor made role for Ajay and he nails it. Madhavan plays the role of Shaitaan and gives a deadly performance. His dangerous look and evil laughter is enough to win your hearts. He is very much into the character and looks very convincing. Jyotika is as natural as she can be. It was a great feeling watching Jyotika back in Hindi Cinema. We just wish that Jyotika keeps on signing more Hindi projects in future. Janki Bodiwala is a star of Shaitaan. Despite having big names like Ajay Devgn, Madhavan and Jyotika, she has found her way and left a solid mark on viewers with her performance. Janki was unbeatable in Vash and in Shaitaan, she is unshakable. Anngad Raaj who plays Ajay’s son and Janki’s brother is amazing.
Vikas Bahl whose last few films like Shaandaar, Goodbye and Ganapath have been epic disappointments, will gain confidence with Shaitaan. Vikas has never explored this genre before, and I must say he has done a decent job here. We just hope that Vikas continues his form and delivers something like Queen and Chillar Party in future.
The BGM could have been better at certain places. The overall BGM is fine, which passes in creating a tense atmosphere. The film has 2 to 3 situational songs which are easily passable.
I would like to praise the writers of the film, to not just simply copy paste things from Vash. Shaitaan is different and even better than Vash at some places. The changes have been made accordingly and they look better. There are some films, where makers try to change things and experiment with certain scenes and fail miserably, but this is not the case with Shaitaan. The writers have logically explained things and have provided a satisfactory answer.
The climax of Shaitaan is slightly different from Vash. Vash had a brutal and bold climax where the lead character doesn’t win fully, but in Shaitaan makers decided to have a happy ending, but with proper answers. The entire climax sequence is modified and looks much grander than Vash. Madhavan’s character has been given a proper motive, which was left incomplete in Vash.
Vash was 117 minutes long, whereas Shaitaan is 132 minutes long, which is 15 minutes bigger than the original. Vash and Shaitaan both waste 20 minutes with unnecessary and typical family drama, but after those 20 minutes there is no looking back for both of them. Vash had constant events happening on-screen and did not feel dull even for a second. Vash was extremely fast paced and it did not give the time to the viewer to settle. Vash had a brilliant concept, as per the Gujarati standards and hence it looked extremely brilliant on-screen. Shaitaan becomes slow in between and looks less effective, due to its long stretched narrative and unwanted long pauses. A trimming of 15 minutes would have made Shaitaan much more gripping.
There have been many films in Bollywood which celebrate motherhood, but Shaitaan has Ajay giving a short but strong speech on fatherhood. The last speech of Ajay might remind us of Vijay Salgaonkar from Drishyam, who will go to any extent to protect his family. In the whole film it’s an out and out Madhavan show, but in the last few minutes Ajay wins the battle.
Overall, Shaitaan is a satisfying experience which should be watched at least once. Those have seen Vash will like it, and those who have not seen Vash will like it more. Shaitaan is a complete package which has thrills, emotion, family values, drama, suspense, message and everything which we can expect from a mainstream thriller. Watch it.
Rating – 3/5*
