Two years after his Gujarati horror film Vash (2023) was a sleeper hit at the box office, Krishnadev Yagnik is looking forward to its sequel Vash Vivash Level 2’s release. The director finds it gratifying that the first instalment, once dismissed as “too unconventional” for Gujarati cinema, not only became a box-office success but also inspired the Hindi adaptation, Shaitaan (2024). 

Yagnik recalls, “For years, people told me this idea won’t work. When I first pitched Vash, the response was that such a psychological horror film was not suited for the Gujarati audience, but I believed in it. The movie proved that the audience is always ready for fresh storytelling.”

That conviction led him to make the sequel, which stars Janki Bodiwala and Hiten Kumar, and delves deeper into the world of black magic. Even as he is counting the days to its August 27 release, the director finds it surreal that his 2023 offering was picked up for adaptation by Ajay Devgn.

“Producer Murlidhar Chattwani saw Vash and felt it had the potential for a Hindi version. Soon, Kumar ji [Mangat Pathak] and Ajay sir watched it and liked it. That’s how the remake was set in motion. For me, it was a huge achievement to see my film being remade on a big scale with such a prestigious production house,” he shares.