Shaitaan review: Ajay Devgn & R Madhavan’s film offers elements of shock & horror (2025)

Making a horror movie is a tricky task and when it comes to Bollywood. Horror films often fail to make a mark, but when the trailer of Ajay Devgn’s 2024 movie Shaitaan was released a couple of weeks ago, the audience was excited to see what the film would look like. The promotional videos affected the advance booking of the film as well with the film getting a good kickstart at the box office. But is the film as good as it looks? Read the review of Shaitaan movie to know for yourself.

Helmed by Vikas Bahl, the film features Ajay Devgn in the role of a doting father. The film also stars R Madhavan in a negative role, something that makes this film look even more interesting. Along with these two stellar actors taking up the lead roles in Shaitaan, the star cast of this 2024 movie also features Jyothika, Janki Bodiwala and Aaryan Sanghvi. The film is a Hindi remake of a Gujarati-language supernatural horror thriller titled Vash. Here’s a quick review of Shaitaan movie which will help you decide whether the film is worth a watch or not.

Shaitaan movie review: What works for Ajay Devgn’s first 2024 movie?

The story of Shaitaan revolves around a family of four. Ajay Devgn essays the role of Kabir, a hard-working CA who loves his family a lot. Jyothika is seen in the role of his caring wife, Jyoti. Janki Bodiwala and Anngad Raaj, who were also a part of the Gujarati film, essay the role of their daughter and son. Things take a drastic turn in their lives when a strange man named Vanraj (R Madhavan) enters their house and hypnotises the daughter into doing everything he says. The rest of the film explores how Kabir does everything in his capacity to save his kid. The trailer of this 2024 movie looked quite promising but the review of Shaitaan might beg to differ.

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What works for the film?

Credit where it is due, Vikas Bahl has a very abstract way of cutting the trailers of his movies that make the film look intriguing. He did something very similar with Shaitaan which has helped in drawing people’s attention to the film. The horror film, which promises maximum drama through its first glimpse, has several moments where you might find yourself on the edge of your seat, something that you expect from a horror movie. The film has been shot well. Considering that most of the scenes take place in just one room, the story has so many elements that you might not notice the bland screenplay.

The only saving grace, however, for this 2024 movie is the star cast of Shaitaan and the only positive thing about the review. R Madhavan is driving the film with his stellar performance with Ajay Devgn sharing a great camaraderie with him. Jyothika, Janki and Anngad also did a great job with their roles and delivered certain scenes in such an effortless manner that you might end up liking the film just because of them. The climax is what makes up for the entire dull buildup, so we suggest you sit through the film to see what happens in the end.

What does not work for the film?

The screenplay of the film is quite weak with scenes that have unnecessary dialogues and very obvious twists. Sadly, there is nothing scary about the film apart from the fact that it makes you think about the world of black magic and its existence in the real world. The BGM fails to add any drama to the screenplay as well. For someone who loves horror movies, it is expected that the build-up becomes bigger and better as the story flows towards the climax, but with Shaitaan you might not witness the thrill entirely. It is just a few moments that work for the film.

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Is the film worth a watch?

To conclude the review of Ajay Devgn’s 2024 movie Shaitaan, it is suggested that you watch the film in theatres only if you do not have any other plans for the weekend. The film is a fun watch but go into the theatres with no expectations to be awestruck by what you see on the screen. Shaitaan will arrive on Netflix soon, so you might want to check out the movie on the streaming platform later as well.

Our verdict: ☆☆☆

Hero & Feature Image: Courtesy IMDb

Note:

The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.

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Movie Review bollywood movie R Madhavan Ajay Devgn Horror-thriller vikas bahl

Shaitaan review: Ajay Devgn & R Madhavan’s film offers elements of shock & horror (2025)

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