Headlined by Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia, the high-concept fantasy adventure marks a landmark creative collaboration between Ektaa R. Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures and The Viral Fever (TVF). Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra (Panchayat) and penned by TVF founder Arunabh Kumar, the 144-second trailer introduces an eerie, sacred ecosystem where centuries-old tribal faith collides with corporate development and ancient curses. The film is scheduled to arrive in theatres nationwide next week on Friday, September 25, 2026.
Breaking Down the Trailer: The Sacred Laws of 'Vvaan Devi'
The promotional footage establishes an unsettling supernatural mythology rooted in rural reverence and taboo:
The Legend of the Bhuttakas: The trailer opens with a warning about the Bhuttakas—malevolent entities bound to the dense woods who operate beyond the control of the local deity, Vvaan Devi. A sacred village law dictates that anyone who enters the forest after sunset never emerges alive.
City Skeptic Meets Ancient Belief: Sidharth and Tamannaah portray an ordinary married couple residing in Mumbai. When they return to Tamannaah's ancestral village for Chhath Puja, Sidharth's character dismisses the local superstitions as rural nonsense—until the supernatural forces manifest directly.
The Development Conflict: Enter Sunil Grover in a shrewd, antagonistic avatar, attempting to convince village elders to hand over the sacred forest land to clear trees for modern infrastructure and commercial construction. The central dilemma pits corporate expansion against spiritual heritage.
Reincarnation & The Ageless Warrior: After venturing into the forest after dark and suffering severe injuries, Sidharth experiences a vision of a past life, realizing he is the reincarnated guardian tasked across eras with protecting the forest's divine balance. The trailer closes on a suspenseful note with glimpses of a mythic warrior rising to defend the grove.
Creative Transition: TVF Expands from Rural Realism to Mythic Fantasy
During the suburban Mumbai trailer launch, the makers highlighted the unusual genesis of the project:
Deepak Mishra's Canvas Shift: Having spent the last eight years establishing the grounded, slice-of-life realism of Panchayat, director Deepak Kumar Mishra explained his shift:
“I have been doing Panchayat for eight years, a realism genre. For the first time, I got the chance to expand my canvas and explore fantasy while sticking to human grounding.”
Sidharth on Choosing Originality: Calling the script impossible to slot into standard Bollywood formulas, Sidharth noted:
“Every actor says their film is different, but our film is genuinely very difficult to even slot because there is no past reference to it. Every actor is hungry for new situations, and I give full credit to TVF for conceiving this original folklore.”
Technical Credits: Featuring visual direction and cinematography by Manu Anand, editing by Nitin Baid, and a multi-composer soundtrack led by Vishal Mishra, Amit Trivedi, Tanishk Bagchi, and Sam CS.
Theatrical Landscape Ahead
Arriving on September 25, Vvaan: Force of the Forest enters an active theatrical marketplace:
Holding Screens: It will face holdover competition from Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran's procedural drama Daayra (releasing September 18), as well as the ongoing box-office runs of Mirzapur: The Movie and Hanuman Ansh.
Audience Appetite: Coming in the wake of folklore-driven hits like Kantara and Munjya, the film looks to tap into the audience's growing appetite for rooted indigenous myths blended with contemporary spectacle.
Trade Verdict:
The trailer for Vvaan: Force of the Forest presents an intriguing bridge between TVF’s celebrated knack for rural authenticity and Balaji’s commercial scale. By grounding a reincarnation thriller in the relatable tension between ecological conservation and unchecked development, the project has the ingredients to emerge as a breakout fantasy-adventure if the folklore connects with family audiences.
