Shaitan

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 10th June, 2011
Time : ~130 minutes
Director & Co-Writer : Bejoy Nambiar; Co-Writer : Megha Ramaswamy; Music : Prashant Pillai, Ranjit Barot, Amar Mohile, Anupam Roy
Starring : Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, Rajit Kapoor, Pawan Malhotra, Shiv Pandit, Neil Bhoopalam, Kirti Kulhari, Gulshan Devaiya, Nikhil Chinnapa

Great styling. Interesting plot. Good cast. Weak characters.


A group of friends, high on various substances, are zipping around the streets of Mumbai (Marine Drive, where else) in their fancy yellow Hummer, when they hit & kill someone. They decide to rush home, try and cover up the traces and lie low but are found by an intrepid cop. Who asks for an exorbitant amount (ie the kind they cant take out of their pocket money) to hush it up. While implementing a particularly hare-brained scheme to try and get the money, they go deeper and deeper in the mire. And soon another cop, Rajeev Khandelwal, an angry, no holds barred, tough talking type, is on their trail.



I think it’s a fatal flaw, in terms of building a connect, if the cop interests you more than the errant friends. We never understand the personality of the individuals or what makes them bond or what demons they confront (as per the title of the film). I thought Shallow Grave did a much better job of all of the above, in terms of showing the friendship and how each of them react differently under pressure.



There is some lovely camera work, nice styling and an exceptional rendition (and video) of the classic ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ as part of the background score on the positive side (you will really struggle to get the tune out of your head). I also liked the way the director remained true to his vision (had heard his script narration before and he has managed to bring it to life). Everyone acts well, none more so than Rajeev.

Something different. Wish it could’ve scaled greater heights…