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Shaitan

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Director           Bejoy Nambiar
Cast                 Kalki Koechlin, Shiv Pandit, Neil Bhoopalam, Gulshan Devaiah, Kirti Kulhari, Pavan Malhotra, Rajeev Khandelwal, Sheetal Menon, Nikhil Chinappa, Raj Kumar Yadav, Rajit Kapoor, Rukhsar, Rajat Barmecha,
Year                2011
Genre              Drama

One of the reasons I did not put up the review of Shaitan up earlier was because I was quite certain that people would watch it – review or no review – and not be disappointed with it.  The other reason – the more important one – was that I was and still am running the movie back in my head to piece a few things together to figure out if they were really required in the movie.  I probably have missed a few points when I saw the movie for the first time and may manage to latch onto the finer nuances when I watch it again (which will probably be this week).  Its worth it when you are debating whether to give a movie a score of over 8 or was it really that good. 

What makes Shaitan a magical experience is not just the direction.  In fact that’s a small part of the entire mix is what you would feel at the end of it all.  I have not seen a movie in a long time where the performances of every single person in the cast was near outstanding.  If there was a blemish in the performances it would have been Nikhil Chinappa who appeared the weakest.  Even the dialogue deprived (actually no dialogues at all) Sheetal Menon was inch perfect in her essaying of the peeved wife of a cop who decides to leave him albeit for a couple of days. Kashyap and Nambiar have taken very true to life actors and led them to probably their best performance possible not only to date but maybe for good.  How else can you explain the likes of a Kirti Kulhari coming up with what she has.  Her last performance was as Pammi in that slapstick movie – Khichdi.  What a transition I say!!!!  I tip my hat to you M/s Kashyap & Nambiar – like several others in this country are doing as we speak. 

There are 3 reasons why I will not give Shaitan a score of more than 8 – Firstly I did not find the reason to introduce Shomu (Rajat Barmecha) into the story at all.  Yes, it was a nice way to call out a kidnapping plot but I personally felt it was too stretched out.  Secondly – I did not find any reason to introduce a chase scene with a Dahi Handi in the background.  It could have been a regular chase.  Difficult cut to make for any director but I guess that’s what differentiates the tough directors from the not so tough.  Lastly, I felt the movie lost tempo somewhere in between. Cannot really point a finger on the exact spot where it started dropping and it picked up again but I did feel a sense of the movie drifting a little bit for about 15 minutes.  In atypical Anurag Kashyap style, Bejoy Nambiar gets the movie from an absolute high down to the very low abysses and then shoots it again through the roof.  I am quite certain that the movie was ghost directed by Anurag Kashyap – every frame reeks of Kashyap.  Unless Kashyap is not only a great director but also a fabulous teacher and has trickled his learnings down to his protégé better than anyone else can. My final verdict - 8 on 10.  Undeniably the best movie of the year so far.  MUST WATCH. And yes – Don’t miss the chase sequence with the evergreen Khoya Khoya Chand Remix playing in the background.  Completely blows your mind!!!!

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1kk_5OohaM
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