The Vvaan: Force of the Forest hits theatres across India on Friday, September 25, as Balaji Motion Pictures, TVF Motion Pictures and 11:11 Productions bet on an original folklore universe rather than a recycled franchise—headlined by Sidharth Malhotra as sceptical city-dweller Rishi and Tamannaah Bhatia as Mamta, the romantic guide into a village taboo against entering a sacred forest after dark.
Mythology built for the screen
Director Deepak Kumar Mishra and writer Arunabh Kumar root the plot in oral tradition around the Van Devi Temple near Bihta, Patna, where a rational protagonist violates a generations-old prohibition and confronts a supernatural force tied to ancestry. Producers Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa R. Kapoor, Arunabh Kumar and Neeraj Kothari released a companion comic, The Legend of Vvaan, ahead of the film—a rare Bollywood attempt to seed transmedia lore before opening weekend.
The ensemble includes Anup Soni, Shweta Tiwari, Sunil Grover and Maniesh Paul, with music from Vishal Mishra, Amit Trivedi, Tanishk Bagchi and Sam C.S. and cinematography by Manu Anand. Marketing posters pair a warrior figure with bull and tiger motifs, signalling VFX-heavy scale for a mid-September corridor crowded by holdover blockbusters.
Box-office stakes this Friday
Exhibitors juggling long runs from devotional and crime adaptations must allocate screens to a new property without presold fan clubs. Malhotra’s urban stardom and Tamannaah’s pan-Indian recognition help, but footfalls will depend on word-of-mouth after evening shows—especially in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh markets where the temple folklore resonates.
Trade trackers will compare Friday occupancy with last week’s holdovers; producers have already flagged an Amazon Prime Video streaming window after theatrical, following a showcase at Prime Video Presents: India 2026.
What audiences are buying
Vvaan sells supernatural identity discovery rather than biopic realism or streaming spin-offs. If it works, Balaji and TVF gain a repeatable universe; if it stumbles, the comic prequel becomes a collector’s curio rather than a franchise bible.
For Friday ticket buyers, the question is whether the film earns its runtime with forest set-pieces and grounded Bihar texture—or whether Dasara travel pulls families away from first-weekend curiosity. Our entertainment desk will track early shows for occupancy, not just producer tweets.
Streaming after the theatrical gate
Prime Video’s India slate positioning suggests a pay-one window measured in weeks, not years—standard for studio-backed Hindi fantasy after pandemic-era collapses of exclusive theatrical runs. International diaspora bookings depend on subtitle quality for folklore terms tied to Van Devi rituals.
Competing releases in the same corridor, including action dramas marketed to youth, could split multiplexes in Mumbai and Bengaluru even if tier-2 towns go all-in on Malhotra’s face value. Friday morning advance booking reports will tell whether the comic gambit converted die-hards or merely previewed plot beats free online.