'Shaitaan' review: Hindi remake of supernatural drama disappoints

THE official remake of the acclaimed 2023 Gujarati film, Vash, was released in cinemas recently and will be available on a streaming site soon.

A couple with their two children go away for a holiday and encounter a stranger named Vanraj along the way. Vanraj turns up at the secluded farmhouse where they are staying, and it soon emerges that he has evil intentions.

The sinister individual starts using black magic to manipulate the teenage daughter, and what follows is a family trying to get themselves away from his clutches.

Shaitaan starts off relatively well as the tension starts to ratchet up with an unpredictable antagonist playing a deadly game with a terrified family. After a solid first half, the dark central premise soon starts to unravel as violence, rambling speeches and predictability overshadow everything else. The messy second half ends in a terrible climax.

The supernatural thriller fails to reach its potential because of poor direction and a screenplay that unravels into a confusing mess of awfulness. Vikas Bahl follows up last year’s biggest flop, Ganapath, with another effort that confirms his lack of talent as a director.

There is a great performance from R Madhavan in the villain’s role that keeps the audience engaged, but his character, like the central storyline, fails to meet its initial promise.

Janki Bodiwala reprises her role from the Gujarati original in her Hindi debut and delivers a solid effort. Ajay Devgn is in his element as the distraught father who is out of his depth, but is trying to save his family.

The strong performances can’t make up for a supernatural thriller that relies more on violence than any kind of clever jump scares. Shaitaan is a movie that ultimately leaves you frustrated.