There are some things in this world that even science can’t explain. Like the mysterious black magic where a spooky spell can control people’s minds, making them puppets in the hands of the caster! Just imagine someone having power over you and making you do anything and everything they want. In the movie Shaitaan, the devilish Vanraj Kashyap, played by Madhavan, tries to do exactly that. In Bollywood, we’ve seen explorations of black magic in films like Bulbul, Pari, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. In Shaitaan, Vanraj thinks of himself like he’s the almighty God, way stronger than us regular humans. He’s planning this sinister ritual, trying to use innocent girls like Janvi, played by Janki Bodiwala, to gain the ultimate power. This Janvi happens to be the daughter of Kabir, played by Ajay Devgn. But as his sinister ritual is set to take place on the night of Umbra, will he be successful in sacrificing girls like Janvi and others to gain ultimate power? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
What did Vanraj do to take Janvi under his spell?
When Kabir and his family were on their way to the farmhouse and stopped at a roadside hotel to freshen up and have some food, they came across this stranger, Vanraj. In his first appearance, Vanraj seemed like a pretty normal guy—actually, to some extent, a very good guy. Now, the name itself may give you some spooky vibes, which is honestly fitting for his character. But at first glance, he seemed like a typical family man, a devoted father who listens to every word his daughter says. He even had his daughter’s photo as his phone’s wallpaper! Vanraj appeared to be such a good human being, or maybe just a good actor pretending to be so. When Kabir didn’t have any change to buy tea for his family, Vanraj stepped in and bought tea for them! Vanraj comes across as a strict parent figure, making Kabir’s daughter listen to every word he says. So, when Janvi didn’t want to have tea or oil-dripping paratha, he made her have it, stopping her nagging behavior. It seemed like he didn’t want her to act like she was better than them or go on about dieting and all that stuff. Kabir and Jyoti thought Vanraj had some sense of authority over Janvi, like a proper parent, and maybe they could learn from him. Little did they know, Vanraj was making Janvi do all these things because he’d made her eat a spell-ridden laddoo! Because of that, Vanraj has taken Janvi under his spell, and he can make her do anything and everything as he pleases!
How did Vanraj take Janvi with him?
After getting Janvi under his spell with the laddoo, he made her eat some biscuits to make the spell even stronger. Then, following Kabir and his family’s trail, he came to their farmhouse and met with them. With his dark-colored attire, hoodie, and mud-covered shoes, his appearance alone was enough to make people think the worst of him. But with his sweet talking and smiling facade, he managed to get inside the farmhouse, uninvited! Once inside, he made up a story about needing a charger for his phone and even ordered Jyoti to whip him up some tea with honey in a nagging manner, as if he were the man of the house! He didn’t seem to take the hint that they didn’t like his presence. Then he started his real game. He made Janvi go out and play with Dhruv, swinging dangerously high. Even when Janvi came inside, he shamed her in front of her parents for planning to go to Ladakh with the boys.
Janvi’s parents were shocked by how Vanraj treated their daughter, but Janvi just went along with everything he said, not trying to stop him. Then it hit them like a bolt of lightning—Vanraj had put black magic on Janvi! She was acting like his puppet, doing whatever he told her to do. He started making her do disturbing things, like smiling creepily, massaging his body, dancing as he pleased for an hour, and even smacking her father and smashing Dhruv’s head against the staircase! He even ordered Janvi to stab anyone who would nag him. He made them smash their phones, so they couldn’t seek help from anyone. It wasn’t just Janvi he had control over; he had power over everyone, making them feel helpless and powerless. Kabir, being a devoted father, wanted to protect his family from Vanraj’s clutches and was ready to give up everything, from jewelry to the farmhouse. But Vanraj didn’t want money or jewels; he believed himself to be like a god, the ultimate supreme power holder who could create, sustain, or destroy as he pleased!
On this ominous night of Umbra, he planned to become even more powerful by performing a sinister dark ritual, and for that, he needed Kabir and Jyoti’s daughter, Janvi. He would take her by any means necessary, even if it meant killing them through Janvi’s hands. He enjoyed seeing people beg before him and took pleasure in their suffering. He was like the ultimate devil being! In a twisted turn of events, he ordered Janvi to kill her brother too, just so Kabir and Jyoti would ultimately let her go with him. Despite their efforts to fight him and stop Janvi, they couldn’t, and ultimately, Janvi threw her brother from the roof. Thankfully, he survived. But Kabir and Jyoti felt powerless before Vanraj, seeing no other option but to let Janvi go with the demon. And with that, Vanraj felt like he had won his twisted game.
What happened to Vanraj?
You might believe things like black magic are just superstitions until you experience them firsthand. As Janvi followed Vanraj, he took her to this creepy old mansion in the middle of the forest. It looked like he was some kind of demon worshiper—actually, a demon himself! He dressed in all black, ready to become some powerful being by throwing black and red dolls into a blazing fire. His ulterior motive? Well, up until now, he had to make people eat spell-ridden food like laddoos to put them under his spell. But if he completed this ritual successfully, making all the girls jump into the fire in a proper, ritualistic way, then he could control people just by looking at them! They’d do anything he wanted! But just in time, Kabir arrived at the place, following Vanraj’s live location, and stopped him from finishing the ritual by cutting off his tongue. This way, Vanraj couldn’t command innocent girls anymore. Kabir freed all the girls but took Vanraj with him and locked him in a tomb.
It was so ironic to see how, at the end of the movie, Vanraj was pleading before Kabir for a little bit of food and freedom. He thought he was the supreme power holder, but now he was feeling completely powerless! And I have to admit, a devilish smile crossed my face seeing him get a taste of his own medicine. He got exactly what he deserved! He wanted to make the world a living hell with his destructive power, but in the end, he’s the one rotting in his own personal hell! It’s like karma came around and hit him right where it hurt!
