Following a promising start with strong performances on its opening day and throughout its debut weekend, the box office receipts for “Shaitaan” have witnessed a decline on its first Monday. According to a Sacnilk report, on the fourth day since its release, the film, helmed by director Vikas Bahl, garnered ₹7 crore. Cumulatively, the horror-thriller has amassed ₹61 crore at the domestic box office.
“Shaitaan” is a retelling of the 2023 Gujarati film “Vash,” depicting a narrative wherein a family finds themselves held captive by a man who harnesses supernatural abilities. The film stars Ajay Devgn portraying Kabeer, Janki Bodiwala as Janvi, and Jyotika as Jyoti. R Madhavan’s portrayal of the antagonist, Vanraaj Kashyap, has garnered praise for his compelling on-screen presence.
On Monday, Bollywood trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share the opening weekend box office figures of “Shaitaan.” He expressed, “The audience has spoken loud and clear: #Shaitaan wins HEARTS, conquers BOXOFFICE.
Box Office Triumph and Critical Reception
A ₹55 cr+ opening weekend for a supernatural-thriller is an eye-opener and case study for those who undermine this Fri 15.21 cr, Sat 19.18 cr, Sun 20.74 cr. Total: ₹55.13 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice.” Adarsh further elaborated, stating, “#Shaitaan has scored across the board: from metros to Tier 2 and Tier 3 centres, from plexes to single screens… Most importantly, the mass pockets have embraced the film… An indicator that #Shaitaan is sure to enjoy a successful innings.”
Film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave “Shaitaan” a rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars, expressing, “If you aren’t the gullible sort, the 132-minute Shaitaan will be very hard to stomach. What the venal Vanraj does is perfectly easy to understand, but why he does what he does isn’t. The tone of the film fluctuates wildly but the performances are consistently trapped in a zone of mediocrity.”
He further commented, “Jyothika is the only one in the cast who is able to rise a bit above the sheer absurdity of the proceedings. The two male characters and the actors playing them don’t stand a chance. The protagonist and the antagonist have a go at each other and drag the film into a claptrap that has no redeeming features.”
Additionally, it’s noteworthy that “Shaitaan” has received joint backing from Ajay Devgn, Jyoti Deshpande, Kumar Mangat Pathak, and Abhishek Pathak.
Shaitaan Reviews
“Shaitaan” has garnered positive reviews from viewers, particularly applauding the performances of the lead actors. Both seasoned actors and debutants such as Janki Bodiwala and Anngad Raaj have been highly praised for their portrayal. Madhavan’s depiction of a sinister black magician has particularly left a lasting impression on audiences, with netizens remarking that his performance “will be remembered for a long time.”
One viewer expressed, “The biggest roar of the film is by R MADHAVAN Whatta Performance, each frame that he is in, he is just killing it in top form, he makes the monster of a person look really fierce delivering scarily thrilling moments.”
Another viewer highlighted the realism in the ending, stating, “The ending has kept so realistic to people’s minds how human tendency expects the kind of treatment to an evil/demon; which makes this exceptional. A complete family genre with top-level actors.”
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