Movie Review : Shaitan

[amazon_link id=”B0056L5T86″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link] Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2011
Running time : 2 hours
Director : Bejoy Nambiar
Cast : Kalki Koechlin, Rajeev Khandelwal, Rajit Kapoor, Neil Bhoopalam, Nikhil Chinappa, Rajat Barmecha, Kirti Kulhari, Gulshan Devaiya, Shiv Pandit, Sheetal Menon, Pawan Malhotra
Kid rating : A

SHAITAN : THE MONSTER WITHIN

Anurag Kashyap’s films always have a touch of the extraordinary about them. They tell chaotic, but real-looking tales of lives in tumult, and this time it’s the lives of a bunch of richie-rich kids who have too much time and money on their hands. The story is kind of similar to Kashyap’s 2003 film “Paanch” which never saw the light of day, thanks to the Indian Censor Board which deemed it unfit for release because of the disturbing violence, and drug use.

In Shaitan, five friends band together. All are unhinged to a certain extent, misunderstood and disturbed in their own ways. Amrita Jaishanker, or Amy(Kalki Koechlin) has moved from Los Angeles to Mumbai with her father Rajeev (Rajit Kapoor) and step-mother. Deeply traumatized by her mother’s attempted suicide, Amy doesn’t settle in until she meets Karan Chaudhary, or KC (Gulshan Devaiya) who introduces her to his gang of fellow misfits – Tanya (Kirti Kulhari), Zubin (Neil Bhoopalam of “No one Killed Jessica” fame) and Dushyant Sahu, or Dash (Shiv Pandit).

The youngsters idle around getting their highs from drugs, alcohol and one particular time with cough syrup. Driving under the influence, they get into an accident and need money in a hurry to smooth things over. Unable to ask their parents for help for fear of repercussions, the five concoct up a crazy plan to kidnap and extort money. They think it’s a simple plan, but things start to go berserk when the police get involved . . .

Shaitan is a dark, disturbing story where you know the protagonists are heading straight for big-time trouble, but it still keeps you on edge. The direction is deft and the film is tightly paced. All the crazed characters are well sketched out, and you have a background against which to fit their deranged, surreal lives. Shaitan is violent and gory at times, with shades of horror. The film’s story treats violence almost casually, almost as something which has to happen, and this adds to the movie’s macabre mood.

The main characters of the film are dangerous lunatics, privileged and wealthy, and you can’t help but look upon them with disdain and some pity. The character to root for here then is hot-headed Inspector Arvind Mathur (Rajeev Khandelwal of Aamir fame), who can’t tolerate corruption, and has been suspended for letting loose his fists  on a powerful bureaucrat. Mathur’s character gives this film it’s heft and resonance, especially with the underplayed romance angle with the wife who’s leaving him and whom he still desperately loves.

The acting was fabulous. Veteran Rajit Kapoor is superb as Amy’s father Rajiv Jayshankar who refuses to see the strains of insanity in his daughter, and Rajeev Khandelwal is effective as honest Inspector Arvind Mathur. All the five youngsters : Bhopalam, Kulhari, Koechlin, Pandit and Devaiya are very, very good. There are also a few known faces : Nikhil Chinappa of MTV Roadies is Inspector Arvind’s fellow policeman, and model Sheetal Menon essays the character of Arvind’s wife Nandini.

Music is quite rock and roll with a few remixes – the yesteryear hit “Khoya khoya chand” has been used quite interestingly in a violent shootout scene – has to be seen to be believed. A remix of the Sridevi number “Hawa hawaai” is also used.

A well-made, interesting film, I highly recommend “Shaitan”.