Shaitaan

Story:

Shaitaan (translated as “Devil”) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language supernatural horror thriller directed by Vikas Bahl and produced by Devgn Films, Jio Studios, and Panorama Studios. The film features an ensemble cast including Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, Jyothika, Janki Bodiwala, and Anngad Raaj.

An adaptation of the 2023 Gujarati film Vash, which also starred Janki Bodiwala, Shaitaan centers on a family facing turmoil when their daughter falls victim to black magic cast by a mysterious stranger. As they race against time to end the possession, they delve into the stranger’s sinister motives. Officially announced in May 2023, the film was completed within three months, with shooting locations in Dehradun and London. Notably, Shaitaan marks Jyothika’s return to Bollywood after her debut in Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998).

Released theatrically on 8 March 2024, coinciding with Maha Shivaratri, the film received positive critical acclaim. It achieved significant commercial success, grossing ₹211.06 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹60–65 crore, making it the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024 and the second highest-grossing Indian horror film ever. A sequel is currently in development.

Plot

Kabir Rishi, a chartered accountant, lives with his wife Jyoti and their children, Janhvi and Dhruv, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. During a family vacation to their remote hill station farmhouse, they encounter Vanraj Kashyap, an enigmatic man. Vanraj initially gains Janhvi’s trust by exchanging a laddu for her paratha. Later, he gives her a packet of biscuits, instructing her to eat them upon reaching the farmhouse.

As the family settles into their vacation, they enjoy the farmhouse’s pool. Jyoti, drying her wet phone in a rice box, notices Vanraj at the door. Janhvi lets him in, claiming his phone’s battery is dead. His presence unsettles the family, and Jyoti asks Kabir to send him away. However, Vanraj starts engaging with Janhvi, discussing her personal life, which makes everyone uncomfortable. When Dhruv interrupts, Vanraj manipulates Janhvi into scaring Dhruv on the swing. The situation escalates when Vanraj refuses to leave, revealing he has hypnotized Janhvi through black magic, making her follow his every command.

Under Vanraj’s control, Janhvi begins acting erratically, destroying phones, eating dry tea leaves, and even slapping Kabir. Vanraj demands the family give Janhvi to him, and when they refuse, he torments them further. In a horrifying act, he orders Janhvi to harm Dhruv, leaving him grievously injured. The family’s attempt to seek help from the police is thwarted by Vanraj’s threats to make Janhvi harm herself.

Vanraj’s true intentions are revealed when he declares himself a demon seeking to control the world. He torments Janhvi further, forcing her to dance for hours, carry out cruel tasks, and obey increasingly degrading commands. Kabir and Jyoti attempt to stop him, but his control over Janhvi compels them to give in. The situation spirals out of control when Janhvi, under Vanraj’s orders, locks her parents in a storeroom and tries to kill Dhruv. Though Dhruv survives a fall from the terrace, Kabir and Jyoti, fearing for their children’s lives, reluctantly allow Vanraj to take Janhvi.

While Jyoti rushes Dhruv to the hospital, Kabir secretly follows Vanraj, having planted a tracker in his phone. He discovers that Vanraj has hypnotized 108 girls, including Janhvi, for a ritual to gain ultimate control over human will. The ritual involves sacrificing the girls in a fire using symbolic dolls. As Vanraj nears the final stages, Kabir intervenes. In a desperate fight, Kabir cuts off Vanraj’s tongue, rendering him unable to give orders. Using a recording of Vanraj’s voice, Kabir tricks the hypnotized girls into believing they are free, breaking Vanraj’s control.

With the ritual stopped, the rescued girls are returned to their families, and Kabir’s family begins to heal. However, Vanraj mysteriously disappears, leaving the police puzzled.

A year later, it is revealed that Kabir has secretly imprisoned Vanraj in an isolated chamber. Mocking the now-mute Vanraj, Kabir declares that true power lies in a parent’s love and their willingness to protect their children at any cost. He leaves Vanraj to suffer in silence, promising to return the next day, asserting that this is Vanraj’s new hell, and Kabir is now his devil.