Anupama Chopra reviews The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia. Backed by Balaji Motion Pictures and TVF, the supernatural-mythological mystery follows Rishi, an engineer whose return to his village, Devanchal, draws him into a world of forbidden forests, ancient beliefs and supernatural forces. His scepticism clashes with his wife Mamta’s faith as family wounds, past-life visions and human evil complicate the mystery.
Anupama finds little of the authenticity and rooted storytelling associated with Deepak’s television work. She critiques the disjointed screenplay, abrupt shifts into comedy and unconvincing visual effects, arguing that the film relies on faith and folklore to compensate for weak writing and craft. While Tamannaah brings more conviction to the material, Sidharth’s performance leaves her unconvinced. The THR Bottomline: a cheerfully awful supernatural mystery whose excess and incoherence make for a lazy, cynical approach to storytelling.