Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Vvaan Review: Spectacle Cannot Save Its Thin Folklore Story
Vvaan: Force of the Forrest is about a man named Rishi who does not believe in supernatural stories.
He returns to his village with his wife, Mamta.
The village is protected by a forest goddess called Vann Devi.
The villagers believe that disturbing the forest could bring danger.
Rishi wants to sell his family land and support development.
The reviewer says the story becomes too dramatic and borrows ideas from several other movies and television shows.
The film looks impressive because of its cameras, sets, animals, and ghost scenes.
However, the review says the attractive visuals and actors cannot fully rescue the weak story.
The film follows atheist Rishi as he returns to Devanchal with Mamta for a property matter and Chhath celebrations.
Rishi challenges villagers’ beliefs about Vann Devi and plans to sell his ancestral land and support development.
The review criticizes the staged setting, melodramatic writing, religious dramatization, and similarities to earlier films and shows.
The production design, camera work, tiger sequences, and ghost portions provide visual scale and polish.
Sidharth Malhotra is praised for carrying the film, while Tamannaah Bhatia brings charm but has a limited role.
- Who
- Sidharth Malhotra plays Rishi, and Tamannaah Bhatia plays Mamta; Maniesh Paul plays Ved and Suniel Grover plays the villain.
- What
- Vvaan: Force of the Forrest is reviewed as a mythology- and folklore-based film about an atheist confronting a supernatural forest legend.
- Where
- The story moves between Mumbai and the fictional town of Devanchal, including the forest called Dev Van.
- Why
- Rishi returns to Devanchal to resolve a property matter, celebrate Chhath, sell his ancestral land, and pursue development plans.
Criticisms
Strengths
Story and originality
Criticisms
The review calls the narrative thin, melodramatic, artificial, and overly dependent on religious dramatization and familiar ideas from films and television shows.
Strengths
The combination of mythology and folklore initially creates curiosity and briefly offers an exciting premise.
Production and spectacle
Criticisms
The staged sets and over-fictionalized setting make the world feel unrealistic.
Strengths
The camera work, production design, tiger sequences, and ghost portions give the film a grand and visually polished appearance.
Performances
Criticisms
Tamannaah Bhatia’s role is described as limited, while Suniel Grover’s villain loses some promise because of the character’s exaggerated black eyes.
Strengths
Sidharth Malhotra is credited with carrying the film, Tamannaah Bhatia brings charm, and Maniesh Paul’s performance as Ved is identified as the review’s most enjoyable element.
- Film
- Vvaan: Force of the Forrest
- Director
- Deepak Kumar Mishra
- Producer/backer
- Ekta Kapoor
- Central legend
- Vann Devi is believed to protect Devanchal from evil forces.
- Main conflict
- Atheist Rishi challenges the villagers’ supernatural beliefs while seeking to sell his ancestral land.
- Reviewer’s assessment
- The film is visually polished but has a wafer-thin, overdramatic narrative.