India, Sept. 25 -- There is a genuinely interesting film hiding somewhere inside The Vvaan. A sacred forest. A mysterious goddess. Chhath Puja. A couple desperate to have a child. A city man returning to his roots. Add some supernatural creatures, a little horror, plenty of comedy and you have the ingredients for a very entertaining Hindi fantasy. The problem? The Vvaan keeps adding more ingredients until you can barely taste the original dish.

Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, the film stars Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia, with Sunil Grover, Anup Soni, Shweta Tiwari and Maniesh Paul in supporting roles. On paper, it is an unusual combination. On screen, that unpredictability works beautifully for a while. And then it doesn't.

Th...