Shaitaan review: R Madhavan's sinister act isn't enough to save this weak story 

Never judge a book by its cover, and never judge a film by its trailer. Filmmaker Vikas Bahl's latest,Shaitaan's first trailer had got the audience curious. The film's casting- Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan and Jyothika- the premise, the thrilling elements shown in the trailer- all made Shaitaan look very interesting. But does it match up to the expectations? Only partially.

The story is simple. Based on the Gujarati film Vash, Shaitaan has Ajay Devgn playing Kabir who takes his family to their vacation home outside the city. On their way to the farmhouse, during a tea break at a local dhaba, they meet Vanraj (R Madhavan) -an over-friendly man who befriends the family of four over a cup of tea. Vanraj is particularly interested in talking to Kabir's teenage daughter Janvi (Janki Bodiwala) who seems too enamoured by the man in no time.

Kabir and his wife Jyoti (Jyothika) do not suspect anything until hours later Vanraj ends up entering their sprawling farmhouse on the pretext of getting his phone charged. He doesn't leave and soon enough the family realises that he has hypnotised Janvi to an extent that she is now following every instruction of his to the T. She first hurts her younger brother Dhruv (Anngad Raj), slaps her father, and is also ready to stab her mother- all on Vanraj's instructions, who casually lies on their plush couch and plays a sinister game of controlling the family.

At one point Kabir- a doting father- tells his daughter that he would find her from any corner of the earth if need be. But deep into the night as Vanraj creates mayhem, he is compelled to think if sacrificing his darling daughter to Vanraj might be a better idea- just to save his young, bleeding son and his wife.

Shaitaan's screenplay by Aamil Keeyan Khan helps to create the perfect premise for the psychological horror film. In the first half, when Vanraj intrudes and stays at the farmhouse, Kabir and Jyoti's realisation of how Janvi is under Vanraj's control and a crucial scene where the cops come calling- are tense and keep you on the edge of your seat. The writing is gripping and it is well executed on screen. But the writing dips horribly in the second half. Post interval, some of the scenes are individually great but when they are stitched together, they don't make the narrative edgy. The last half an hour of the 132-minute-long film seems so outlandish and stretched that it completely spoils the otherwise gripping first half of the film.

I wish the writing was sharp. The characters are well-written. Especially Madhavan, who plays his baddie act with such nonchalance that you understand how it's easy to be friends with someone so charming. He casually instructs a hypnotised Janvi to kill her family. He smiles and threatens the family with dire consequences if they don't listen to him and give their daughter to him.

Complementing him in every scene is actress Janki Bodiwala who reprises her role as Janvi after playing it in the original Guajarati film. Janvi is aware of the ill deeds she is doing but is helpless. Janki's dialogues are limited but the young actress uses physical expression to deliver a stunning act. As the possessed Janvi, Janki manages to give you the creeps.

Ajay Devgn, meanwhile, plays the helpless father with much restraint. Considering he is the producer of the film and is known to play the larger-than-life hero in most films, you expect him to outwit Madhavan's character easily but the plot limits his reactions. Jyothika emotes through her eyes and delivers the role of a mother who doesn't want to give up the fight that easily.

Shaitaan starts on a high but ends with a whimper. Bahl's direction soars high in establishing a credible, edgy plot that loses focus in the second half. By the time the film is in its climactic finale,it becomes melodramatic and feels too stretched.

I had hoped that Shaitaan would leave a lasting impression but it actually has a middling effect. You want to laud R Madhavan and Janaki Bodiwala's credible performances but the weak script lets the actors down to a great extent.Shaitaan was released in theatres this Friday.