by The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest takes a familiar Bollywood idea — a man returning to his roots — and places it inside a folklore-driven supernatural story. Starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia, the film moves between village life, an old legend, family history and a forest that the locals believe should never be entered after sunset.
Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, The Vvaan was released in theatres on 25 September 2026. The film uses the folklore of Van Devi as the foundation for its fantasy-thriller narrative, while Rishi’s personal conflict gives the supernatural story a human starting point.
The Vvaan Story: Why Does Rishi Return to the Village?
The story follows Rishi, a civil engineer living in Mumbai with his wife Mamta, played by Tamannaah Bhatia.
Rishi has stayed away from his ancestral village, Devanchal, for years after a painful incident connected to his past. He eventually returns because of a practical matter: he wants to deal with the inherited land and sell it.
That plan becomes complicated when the village’s beliefs about a nearby forest come into the picture.
According to the local legend, the forest is connected with Van Devi, and entering the grove after sunset is considered forbidden. Rishi, who describes himself as rational and does not place faith in such supernatural explanations, does not see the forest in the same way.
For him, the land is something that can be developed. For the villagers, it represents something sacred that should be protected.
That difference becomes the starting point of the film’s central conflict.
When Rishi enters the forbidden forest despite the warnings, the situation changes from a dispute over land and belief into a supernatural confrontation. The film then uses Rishi’s experience to question whether everything can be explained through reason alone.
Rishi and Mamta: The Personal Side of the Story
The relationship between Rishi and Mamta is not simply added as a romantic track.
Mamta is Rishi’s wife and a school teacher, and the couple’s shared history is connected to the reason Rishi has remained distant from his hometown. Their relationship therefore gives the supernatural storyline a personal stake.
This becomes particularly important because Rishi is not returning to Devanchal with a simple sense of nostalgia. He is carrying unresolved baggage from the past while trying to complete what initially appears to be a straightforward practical task.
That makes Mamta part of Rishi’s emotional journey rather than just a supporting presence around the hero.
Tamannaah Bhatia’s performance also gives the film a different energy from Rishi’s more skeptical personality. Pinkvilla specifically noted the chemistry between Sidharth and Tamannaah as one of the film’s strengths.
The Van Devi Legend
The folklore surrounding Van Devi is the foundation of The Vvaan.
The movie begins by establishing the legend before moving into Rishi’s modern-day story. This structure helps explain why the forest matters to the people of Devanchal long before Rishi becomes involved.
The important point is that the forest is not presented merely as a place where strange things happen. It is tied to the community’s beliefs, the history of the village and the conflict over what should happen to the land.
This is where the film gets its identity.
Instead of placing its supernatural story in an anonymous haunted house or an urban location, The Vvaan builds its mystery around a rural belief system. That gives the film a distinctly Indian folklore setting.
At the same time, the legend in the movie should be understood as part of its fictional storytelling. References to real traditions or religious ideas should not automatically be treated as proof that the supernatural events shown in the film actually happened.
Sidharth Malhotra’s Performance as Rishi
Sidharth Malhotra carries most of the film because the audience experiences the supernatural mystery largely through Rishi.
The character works best in the early part of the story, when his skepticism creates a clear contrast with the villagers’ faith. He does not immediately accept the warnings about the forest, which makes his decision to enter it feel consistent with his personality.
The challenge comes once the supernatural side of the story takes over. At that point, Rishi has to move from questioning the legend to dealing with its consequences.
That transition gives Sidharth a different kind of role from the straightforward action hero. Rishi’s physical journey through the forest is only one part of the character; the larger shift is his changing understanding of the place he once viewed primarily as inherited property.
Tamannaah Bhatia as Mamta
Tamannaah Bhatia plays Mamta, Rishi’s wife and a school teacher.
Her character gives the story an emotional counterpoint to Rishi’s skepticism. Mamta is connected to Rishi’s past and to the personal consequences of the decision to return to Devanchal.
The character could have easily become secondary in a film dominated by mythology and supernatural action, but her connection with Rishi gives the relationship genuine relevance to the plot.
The film’s strongest use of Mamta comes when the personal history between the couple intersects with the larger mystery. Their relationship gives the audience something to care about beyond the question of what is inside the forest.
Supporting Cast
The film also features Anup Soni, Sunil Grover, Shweta Tiwari, Maniesh Paul and Durgesh Kumar, among others.
Anup Soni plays Shashi Bhaiya, while Shweta Tiwari is credited as Shushila. Sunil Grover plays Deepak, Maniesh Paul appears as VP, and Durgesh Kumar plays a journalist.
The supporting cast helps establish the social world around Rishi rather than functioning only as a list of familiar faces. Their characters represent different sides of the village environment in which the conflict develops.
What Works in The Vvaan?
The film’s biggest strength is its premise.
The conflict over inherited land gives Rishi a believable reason to return home, while the Van Devi legend provides the supernatural layer. Those two elements are connected rather than being completely separate storylines.
The forest also gives the movie a strong visual setting. It allows the filmmakers to create an atmosphere of uncertainty without depending entirely on conventional horror techniques.
Another positive is the way the film introduces its folklore before asking the audience to follow Rishi into the mystery. The legend gives the later events some context instead of making the supernatural elements appear without explanation.
Several reviews have also praised the film’s folklore and visual presentation. Times of India highlighted those aspects while noting that the writing is uneven.
Where The Vvaan Falls Short
The film’s main weakness is execution.
The premise has enough material for a focused supernatural thriller, but the movie tries to accommodate several different tones and ideas at once. Romance, comedy, action, mythology and supernatural drama all compete for space.
That makes the pacing less consistent than the premise suggests.
The first half benefits from the mystery surrounding the forest and Rishi’s disbelief. Once the film begins revealing more of its supernatural material, however, the story becomes less controlled. This is the point where some reviews have found the screenplay uneven.
Times of India described the film as a promising folklore story affected by uneven writing, while Pinkvilla praised the initial setup but found the execution weaker in the second half.
That criticism is useful because it identifies a specific problem rather than simply calling the movie “good” or “bad”: the concept creates curiosity, but the screenplay does not maintain the same level of control throughout.
Direction and Screenplay
Deepak Kumar Mishra directs the film, while current film credits list Arunabh Kumar and Anandeshwar Dwivedi among the writing credits. IMDb currently lists Arunabh Kumar and Deepak Kumar Mishra as directors, so official end credits should be treated as the final authority for detailed attribution.
The direction is most effective when the film allows the folklore to create suspense instead of explaining everything immediately.
The screenplay’s central idea is also clear: Rishi believes the forest is an obstacle to development, while the villagers see it as something that must be protected.
That conflict gives the supernatural story a practical dimension. The forest is not important only because something mysterious may live there; it is also valuable because different characters attach completely different meanings to it.
The problem is that the film sometimes moves away from that focused conflict and adds more spectacle and genre elements than the story can comfortably absorb.
Is The Vvaan a Horror Movie?
The Vvaan contains horror and supernatural elements, but describing it only as a horror film would be misleading.
It is better understood as a folklore-based fantasy thriller with mystery, adventure and supernatural elements. Current listings classify it as a fantasy/mystery/thriller, while reviews also discuss its mythology and horror components.
So viewers should not approach it expecting a conventional jump-scare horror movie from beginning to end.
The movie is more interested in building a supernatural world around a local legend and then placing a skeptical protagonist inside it.
The Vvaan Release Date and Runtime
The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest was released in theatres on 25 September 2026.
The film is in Hindi and received a U/A 16+ certification.
There is some inconsistency in published runtime information. Times of India lists the film at 2 hours 45 minutes, while Filmfare lists 2 hours 17 minutes. IMDb currently lists 2 hours 45 minutes. Because these listings do not agree, readers should check the runtime shown by their local cinema before booking.
The Vvaan OTT Release: Where Can You Watch It Online?
As of 30 September 2026, the film’s primary release remains theatrical.
OTT reports have indicated that a digital release is expected after the theatrical run, but an exact streaming date should not be treated as confirmed unless it is announced by the relevant platform or the film’s official team.
For readers looking for the latest OTT information, it is better to check the current platform listing rather than rely on an older “expected release date”.
The Vvaan Cast and Crew
Main Cast
Sidharth Malhotra as Rishi
Tamannaah Bhatia as Mamta
Anup Soni as Shashi Bhaiya
Shweta Tiwari as Shushila
Sunil Grover as Deepak
Maniesh Paul as VP
Durgesh Kumar as Patrkaar
Other credited performers include Sundip Ved, Ajay Raju, Akshaan Sehrawat and Aniket Sanghavi.
Key Crew
Director: Deepak Kumar Mishra
Additional director credit: Arunabh Kumar
Writers: Anandeshwar Dwivedi and Arunabh Kumar
Cinematography: Manu Anand
Editor: Nitin Baid
Because different databases can display credits differently, official end credits should be preferred when publishing a detailed crew list.
Final Review
The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest has a stronger idea than its uneven execution sometimes allows.
The film’s best material comes from the combination of Rishi’s personal history, the inherited land, the Van Devi legend and the forbidden forest. These elements give the story an actual reason to move forward instead of using the supernatural setting only for atmosphere.
Sidharth Malhotra fits the central role because Rishi’s skepticism gives the first half a clear point of view. Tamannaah Bhatia adds emotional weight to the story through Mamta and her relationship with Rishi.
The biggest limitation is the screenplay’s tendency to move between multiple genres. The folklore and mystery create curiosity, but the film does not always maintain the same level of focus once the story becomes more action-heavy and supernatural.
That is also why the critical response has been mixed. Some reviewers have appreciated the concept, folklore and visual treatment, while others have found the writing and second-half execution less convincing.
Overall, The Vvaan is best approached as a folklore-driven fantasy thriller rather than a conventional horror film. Its central idea and setting are its biggest attractions, while the uneven screenplay is likely to be the deciding factor for viewers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest about?
The film follows Rishi, a civil engineer who returns to his ancestral village to deal with inherited land. His plans become complicated when he encounters the local legend of Van Devi and a forest that villagers consider forbidden.
Why does Rishi go back to his village?
Rishi returns to his ancestral village to deal with inherited property and sell the land. His return also brings him back into contact with a painful part of his past.
Who is Mamta in The Vvaan?
Mamta, played by Tamannaah Bhatia, is Rishi’s wife and a school teacher. Her relationship with Rishi is connected to the personal history that brought him back to his hometown.
What is the Van Devi connection in the film?
Van Devi is the folklore figure at the centre of the forest legend. The film uses this belief as the foundation for its supernatural mystery.
Is The Vvaan based on a true story?
The film draws from folklore and traditional beliefs, but its main story and supernatural events should be treated as fictional rather than presented as a documented true story.
Is The Vvaan a horror movie?
It has horror and supernatural elements, but it is broader than a conventional horror film. It combines fantasy, mystery, thriller, adventure and folklore.
Who directed The Vvaan?
Deepak Kumar Mishra is credited as director, with current databases also listing Arunabh Kumar in the directing credits.
When was The Vvaan released?
The film was released in theatres on 25 September 2026.
Is The Vvaan available on OTT?
As of 30 September 2026, the film is primarily in its theatrical release window. A confirmed OTT date should be checked through the relevant platform’s latest official announcement before publishing a specific date.
Is The Vvaan worth watching?
That depends on what you expect from it. Viewers interested in Indian folklore, supernatural mysteries and fantasy adventures may find the premise appealing. Those looking for a tightly focused thriller may be more affected by the screenplay’s uneven pacing and genre shifts.
