The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest (2026) Review!!

Synopsis – A rational urban man defies his ancestral village’s forbidden forest and awakens a divine goddess, forcing him to confront powers beyond logic as he becomes the unlikely saviour protecting his people from annihilation.

My Take – In little over a decade, The Viral Fever (TVF) has transformed Indian entertainment by first challenging convention through its irreverent spoof videos and later redefining storytelling with its relatable characters, slice-of-life narratives, and remarkable understanding of everyday aspirations.

From the heartwarming Panchayat and hugely popular Kota Factory to the widely loved Aspirants, the studio has consistently delivered stories that resonate across age groups. Its first theatrical venture, produced in association with Balaji Telefilms and 11:11 Entertainment, seemed poised to mark the next big leap for the brand. Unfortunately, this fantasy horror comedy directed by Panchayat fame Deepak Kumar Mishra turns out to be the very opposite of what TVF has long stood for.

Instead of freshness and authenticity, it offers a surprisingly dated, artificial and cliché-ridden experience that promises far more than it ultimately delivers. The film possesses many of the ingredients of an engaging fantasy thriller. Its atmospheric setting, visual ambition and folklore-driven concept work strongly in its favor. However, an erratic narrative, underdeveloped characters and an overstuffed screenplay weighed down by too many competing ideas ensure that the emotional core never fully takes shape. As a result, viewers struggle to invest either in the protagonist’s journey or the mystical world he is thrust into.

From its opening moments to its bombastic climax, the film often feels like a collection of loosely connected set pieces rather than a cohesive story, with only occasional scenes delivering the impact they seek. What could have been a nuanced exploration of faith, greed, development and humanity’s uneasy relationship with nature ultimately settles for a moderately engaging supernatural adventure.

While it remains intermittently watchable, it only scratches the surface of its considerable potential, leaving behind a muddled and unexpectedly uninvolving experience.

The story follows Rishi (Sidharth Malhotra), a Mumbai-based engineer and staunch atheist who has little faith in rituals, traditions or anything beyond reason. Happily married to Mamta (Tamannaah Bhatia), he has spent years trying to start a family with her and is anxiously awaiting approval for a loan that would allow them to pursue IVF treatment. Circumstances, however, force the couple back to Rishi’s ancestral village of Devanchal in Bihar, where he must complete the formalities for a land acquisition deal. His return is met with mixed emotions.

While his elder brother Shashi (Anup Soni) is delighted to see him, his sister-in-law Sushila (Shweta Tiwari) remains resentful, unable to move past a long-simmering family feud and a tragedy that continues to haunt them. As Rishi settles into village life, he pays little heed to the locals’ ominous warnings about the mysterious forest that must never be entered after sunset. Instead, he backs Deepak (Sunil Grover), a development-minded local & upcoming politician who wants to clear part of the forest to improve connectivity and bring progress to the region.

But when Rishi ventures into the forbidden woods and inadvertently breaks an ancient seal, he unleashes a supernatural force that shatters his rational worldview. What follows is a perilous journey that compels him to confront powers beyond his understanding and question everything he has always believed to be true. The film’s biggest problem is that the deeper it ventures into its mythology, the less compelling it becomes.

What begins as an intriguing blend of folklore, mystery and social conflict gradually descends into eye-roll-inducing absurdity. As the narrative grows increasingly convoluted, revelations pile on without adding much clarity or emotional weight, leaving both the protagonist and the audience lost in a maze of underdeveloped ideas.

To its credit, the first half is reasonably engaging. It effectively establishes the village, its customs and the simmering tension between development and preservation, while the mystery surrounding the forbidden forest generates genuine curiosity. At its core, the film wants to be a tale about faith, framed through a cosmic struggle between divine and malevolent forces. Yet the film repeatedly squanders the rich possibilities inherent in its mythology.

The origins of Vandevi, the evil spirit and Rishi’s connection to the sacred forest could have served as the foundation for a fascinating folk-fantasy saga. Instead, writer Arunabh Kumar approaches these ideas with a surprising lack of imagination, relying on plot devices and dramatic beats that feel less inspired by folklore and more reminiscent of formulaic television melodrama. The land acquisition dispute initially grounds the story in a relatable conflict, but as the supernatural plotline takes over, that thread is pushed to the margins and never evolves into anything meaningful.

Several twists and revelations exist merely to propel the narrative forward rather than deepen character motivations or raise the emotional stakes. A stronger integration of the film’s social and supernatural dimensions could have resulted in a far more cohesive and resonant experience.

One of the film’s few bright spots arrives in the form of Maniesh Paul as Ved Prakash, Rishi’s best friend. His character contributes very little to the central narrative, yet his scenes, particularly those shared with the charming Sulabha Arya, inject some much-needed humor and warmth into an otherwise exhausting film. In fleeting moments, Paul displays the effortless comic timing that has become increasingly rare in mainstream Hindi cinema, providing brief but welcome respite from the surrounding chaos.

There are moments when the film appears on the verge of redemption. Yet these strengths are ultimately undermined by unconvincing CGI, generic monster designs, the Baahubali-esque heroics and heavy-handed dialogue about faith, devotion and the eternal battle between good and evil. The result is a film that looks grand on the surface but rarely feels inventive, emotional or immersive enough to justify its ambition.

Performance-wise, Sidharth Malhotra brings sincerity and commitment to Rishi, excelling more in the action-driven portions than the character’s internal conflict. Tamannaah Bhatia lends warmth to an underwritten role, while her chemistry with Malhotra adds some emotional grounding.

Suniel Grover is dependable as always but is let down by a predictable arc. Shweta Tiwari, Anup Soni and Maniesh Paul contribute to the film’s rustic authenticity, though the script gives them little room to shine. On the whole, ‘The Vvaan‘ is an ambitious but muddled fantasy horror-comedy that never quite lives up to its considerable potential.