Stories based on folklore, gods and goddesses and mystical forests have always fascinated Indian audiences. The film ‘The Wawan: Force of the Forest’ brings some of these elements to the big screen. The story revolves around a sacred forest, a local belief attached to it and a man who believes all these things to be superstitions. It is a combination of Chhath worship, village culture, land dispute and supernatural powers. The idea sounds interesting on paper, but as the film progresses, it becomes clear that trying to handle too many ideas at once overwhelms the story.
‘The One’: What is the story of the film?
The story of the film revolves around Rishi (Sidharth Malhotra), an engineer who lives in Mumbai with his wife Mamta (Tamanna Bhatia). The couple is dealing with a personal problem and is hoping to become parents. Meanwhile, Rishi has to return to his native village ‘Devanchal’, where he wants to settle a matter related to land.
On reaching the village, he encounters an old belief related to the forest. According to the locals, this forest is the home of ‘Van Devi’ and it is forbidden to enter it after sunset. The sage considers these things to be mere superstitions, but some events happening in the forest begin to challenge his views. Meanwhile, a plan to build a road through the forest comes to light, creating a conflict between development and trust.
A: The second part goes completely astray
The biggest weakness of the film is its second half. The story here tries to do too much at once. Folklore, mythology, environmental concerns, land disputes, development projects, supernatural powers and comedy – everything is brought together, and in the process the main story loses its edge.
The issue of land and road seems important at first, but eventually becomes secondary to supernatural events. Similarly, the connection between Chhath Puja and the story is not as strong as the film wants it to be.
There are new twists and turns in the screenplay, but many of them complicate the story instead of moving it forward. In many scenes it seems as if the film is more interested in quickly moving on to the next event rather than explaining the story to the audience.
By the time the film reaches its climax, its tone has also changed considerably. What begins as folklore and mystery eventually turns into massive supernatural action. Instead of looking impressive, this change looks a bit odd.
The One: Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra
Deepak Kumar Mishra has tried to create a different kind of Indian fantasy through this film. His intention to give his distinct identity by connecting the story with Indian folklore and rural environment is clearly visible.
However, the biggest problem with the direction is the tone of the film. The film can never decide whether it wants to be a serious folk tale, a horror film, a fantasy adventure or a comedic entertainer. One scene attempts to create mystery, then the next suddenly turns into comedy. With this, the atmosphere of the film deteriorates again and again.
Mishra is known for bringing naturalness and local flavor to a story like ‘Panchayat’, but the same grip is not seen here. Despite being based on the backdrop of Bihar, the film does not show the culture there in that depth.
Van: performance
Siddharth Malhotra is fine as Rishi, but his performance does not rise above the film’s weak script. His character had to change from a sane, city-dwelling person to one exposed to supernatural events. However, the screenplay does not give enough emotional depth to this transition.
Malhotra looks comfortable in action and physical scenes, but fails to impress in emotional scenes. Overall his performance remains average.
Tamannaah Bhatia got a chance to play a character with emotional depth as Mamta. His character can be associated with both the personal and spiritual aspects of the story. Tamannaah plays her role with sincerity, but the role is not given the need to develop. At times, she seems to be nothing more than a supporting character to the main story. His character potential could have been used better.
It is interesting to see Sunil Grover in a serious role. He tries to bring seriousness to the character, but his ready-made comic persona gets in the way at several places.
Manish Paul has been brought in mainly for comedy. His timing works in some scenes, but his track often feels like a forced addition to the story. Repeated use of the same jokes also reduces their effectiveness.
Anup Soni and Shweta Tiwari are good in their respective roles, but the screenplay doesn’t give them much to work with.
A: technical aspect
Technically, the cinematography is one of the film’s strong points. The forest is shot with thick trees, shadows and fog, creating many attractive frames. An attempt is made to create a mystical atmosphere in the forest, but the cinematography alone does not create the fear that the story needs.
Background score and folk tunes have been used to make the atmosphere more effective. Chhath-related sections also try to bring a regional flavor to the film.
As far as VFX goes, the film tries to create a supernatural world on a grand scale, but the results are not the same. Some scenes work well, while in others the visual effects look artificial.
Editing is another weak link. The story should have been tougher. Some comedy scenes and songs slow down the pace of the main story.
A: What’s missing?
The biggest problem with ‘The One’ is not a lack of ideas, but an excess of ideas. The film wants to say too many things at once, without giving any one idea enough depth.
The mystery surrounding the forest loses its impact as the film does not give enough time to develop it. Idioms and folklore are part of the story, but their use often feels superficial.
The conflict between evolution and nature could have given a strong social dimension, but it is overshadowed by the supernatural story. Comedy isn’t always effective either. Sudden jokes between serious events spoil the mood of the film.
More importantly, the climax does not provide a satisfactory resolution to the mystery that the film set up at the beginning.
A: Final judgment
The idea behind ‘The One: Force of the Forest’ is certainly interesting. Indian folklore, Van Devi, Chhath Puja and a mysterious forest could have formed the basis of a unique fantasy film.
The movie also has some great scenes and hard work by the actors. But between a good idea and a good movie, the most important element is a strong story. This is where ‘The One’ misses the most. Fragile script, ups and downs, incomplete character development, weak comedy and a climax that doesn’t leave the desired impact – all these combine to overshadow the film’s good points.
2 out of 5 stars, because the movie definitely has potential and some good ideas, but they are not used properly. ‘The One: Force of the Forest’ ultimately ends up being a film that raises expectations in the beginning, but doesn’t live up to those expectations by the end.