The Vvaan Review: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest wants to be many things at once. It tries to combine folklore horror, devotional drama, family emotions, and big-budget supernatural action into one story. The idea sounds interesting, but the film struggles to balance all these elements.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Language: Hindi
Genre: Folklore Horror, Supernatural, Drama
Runtime: Approx. 2 hours
Director: Rishabh Shetty
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Tamannaah Bhatia, Maniesh Paul and others
The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest wants to do a lot of things at once. It wants to be a spooky folklore horror, a devotional family drama, and a big-budget supernatural action film, all rolled into one. Unfortunately, trying to juggle so many genres ends up working against it, and what we get is a film that’s harmless in parts and tiring in others.
The story is inspired by a local legend from Bihar. A prologue set way back in the seventh century tells us about a king who received a divine boon from the forest goddess Van Devi, promising protection for his descendants against dark forces that come out at midnight. That mythology forms the backbone of the film, though the animation used to show this backstory looks quite outdated and rough around the edges.
Coming back to the present day, we meet Rishi, played by Sidharth Malhotra, a city dweller who doesn’t believe in any of this forest folklore. He and his wife Mamta, played by Tamannaah Bhatia, head to their hometown in Bihar to celebrate Chhath Puja. The couple is dealing with fertility struggles, and Rishi ends up selling his share of the family property to fund an expensive IVF treatment. That decision sets off a chain of events involving property disputes, local politicians pretending to be descendants of the mythical king, and Rishi starting to experience strange visions he can’t explain.
If you’re curious about how much money went into making this ambitious project and what the cast took home for it, we’ve broken it all down in our detailed piece on The Vvaan’s budget and cast salaries.
Sidharth Malhotra looks the part of a rugged hero, but there isn’t much new here that we haven’t already seen from him in his earlier action roles. Tamannaah Bhatia, on the other hand, brings real sincerity to her role as a devoted wife whose prayers and rituals carry a very old-school, almost nostalgic kind of faith.
The film does manage to build an eerie atmosphere at times, thanks to a red-eyed shrine, a mysterious tiger, and some genuinely creepy visuals involving dark supernatural beings. But this mood keeps getting undercut by moments that feel unintentionally silly, including a twist involving Sunil Grover’s character that just doesn’t land the way it was probably meant to.
There are a couple of bright spots, though. Maniesh Paul plays a video blogger who gets rattled by a spooky old woman in the village, and his easy-going comic timing genuinely lifts a few scenes. It’s a shame the film doesn’t lean into this lighter energy more often.
What’s most disappointing is the missed opportunity here. The film had a real chance to spotlight Bihari culture and even touch on environmental themes around forest conservation, but instead it gets lost in a fairly standard battle between good and greedy people, stretched out far longer than it needed to be.
If lighthearted and colourful coming-of-age stories are more your speed, you might enjoy our review of Don’t Be Shy, a fun if somewhat surface-level look at Gen Z life.
Overall, The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest is a film with an interesting premise that never quite decides what kind of movie it wants to be.