MAY 6, 2024
him
Watched
Shaitaan
Movie by Vikas Bahl · 2024
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Vikas Bahl's Shaitaan, an official remake of the highly rated 2023 Gujarati film 'Vash', is one of the most terrorizing film in the recent times for a parent, or anyone who has someone they dearly care for.
🤯
❤️
The film wastes no time, and jumps right into its genre from the very first scene. The numbering just makes it more spine-chilling unless of course you cannot stand what you see and end up skipping it entirely.
This movie is surely not for the faint-hearted, and I'm thrilled that such stories are being attempted by popular Hindi film-industry stars now.
Watched
Raat
Movie by Ram Gopal Varma · 1992
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The last Hindi film that was as spooky and thrilling as this was Ram Gopal Varma's Raat, which was an unofficial remake of Audrey Rose, if I recall correctly.
I'd say almost all the actors are appropriate for their part. And naturally, it's hard to go wrong when you cast veterans like Jyotika (back to Hindi cinema after 2 decades) and Ajay Devgn. Anngad Raaj as the 8-year old is brilliant to say the least.
But the dilemma starts when you saw powerhouse performances of two actors — one almost debuting and the other, one of the most versatile actors of Indian cinema.
Janki Bodiwala, as Janvi, the daughter, is a powerhouse who competes scene to scene with the most-amazing Madhavan. The minute he (Madhavan) steps into that public washroom, it is hard to not be amazed by her graph of acting, and how him as the antagonist is going to control each minute of the story from here on! 🫡
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⚠️ Spoilers ahead ⚠️
There is hardly any breathable moment in the first half — you're continuously at the edge of your seat, with increasing stakes, and problems that we've almost never encountered in the past, that too, with such great belief.
The movie wins when you start imagining the on-goings as real and 'what-ifs' introduce themselves to your life. The minute your connect to the pain and helplessness of these characters, the movie wins!
There is a range of moments where you could almost feel the helplessness and emotional suffocation, starting with the first time the parents notice their daughter's odd behaviour, to the slap, to the cylinder... it just keeps going up!
But just then, towards the start of the second half, when you were so sure that there is no almost no issue with this remarkable movie, one after another, most elements start dropping. The pace, the puzzling, grueling atmosphere, the choice of chess pieces within the story, it's all downhill from hereon.
The almost perfect first half is let down, and how, by an off-putting second half. The climax is the worst part of the entire storytelling. Nothing works by this point.
Perhaps the only saving grace is the last scene. Wait for it! And the dialogue.
Direction is intermittent, flawless in the first half, and absolutely 'filmy' (read: cliched) in the second half. I love how there's one great use of Chekhov's gun (the son and his love for recording). But what seemed like the hint of another similar metaphor, was a dud (the goldfish).
There is almost no scope for songs here, though the team has tried to force some. I skipped them whenever possible. The background score though, is powerful and menacing.
There is not much to say about the cinematography or art direction. They are plain or rather, invisible mostly, which should be okay. But if they were any better, the impact could have been heightened and how!
Overall, it should be watched.
And I dislike that I could not catch it in theatre.
Sidenote: there is an amazing opportunity to make a prequel movie based on the life of Vanraj — who was he, and why did he choose to do whatever he did?
I'd love to watch this one with bated breath!