Shaitan is a 2023 Telugu crime-thriller web series created and directed by Mahi V Raghav. The story follows Baali, a man pushed towards violence by years of exploitation, family trauma and a system that repeatedly fails the people around him. Instead of presenting its central character as a conventional hero, the series examines how revenge, anger and survival gradually shape his choices.
Rishi leads the series as Baali, with Deviyani Sharma, Jaffer Sadiq, Lenaa, Ravi Kale, Shelly Kishore, Kamakshi Bhaskarla and Nithin Prasanna in major roles. The first season consists of nine episodes and originally premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on June 15, 2023.
Shaitan Web Series Cast
1. Rishi as Baali
Rishi plays Baali, the central character around whom the entire story is built. Baali grows up in an environment marked by poverty, abuse and injustice. His experiences gradually turn him into a violent and unpredictable man who believes that conventional ideas of right and wrong have little meaning in the world he knows. The series follows his journey from a troubled young man to someone pursued by the police and feared by those in power.
2. Shelly Kishore as Savitri
Shelly Kishore plays Savitri, Baali’s mother. Her suffering becomes one of the earliest forces shaping Baali’s anger. Savitri’s experiences also establish the darker social background of the series and explain why her children develop such a deep distrust of authority.
3. Deviyani Sharma as Jayaprada
Deviyani Sharma appears as Jayaprada, Baali’s sister. She is an important part of the family story and is directly affected by the violence and exploitation surrounding them. Jayaprada’s choices later become closely tied to the cycle of revenge that drives the plot.
4. Jaffer Sadiq as Gumthi
Jaffer Sadiq plays Gumthi, Baali’s brother. Gumthi shares the burden of the family’s difficult past and becomes involved in the events that pull Baali further into violence. His character helps show how the consequences of one person’s decisions spread across an entire family.
5. Lenaa as Mary Joseph
Lenaa plays Mary Joseph, an IPS officer who becomes part of the law-enforcement side of the narrative. Her character represents the institutional response to the escalating violence and adds another perspective to the conflict between the police, political establishment and armed groups.
6. Ravi Kale as Nagi Reddy
Ravi Kale appears as Nagi Reddy, a senior police officer who becomes one of Baali’s most important adversaries. Their relationship develops through confrontation, strategy and shifting interests, making Nagi Reddy central to the later episodes.
7. Kamakshi Bhaskarla as Kalavathi
Kamakshi Bhaskarla plays Kalavathi, a Naxal sympathiser whom Baali meets while escaping the police. Her presence draws him deeper into the world of armed rebellion and introduces another political and ideological layer to the story.
8. Nithin Prasanna as Vijay Kumar
Nithin Prasanna plays Vijay Kumar, an IPS officer whose arrival intensifies the clash between the police and the Naxal group. His role becomes a major turning point in Baali’s journey.
Other important cast members include:
- Aneesha Dama as Young Jayaprada
- Manikandan K. as Obuleshu
- Ravi Kumar as Sambanna
- Sanjay Krishna as Ranganna
Shaitan Web Series Crew
Mahi V Raghav serves as the creator, director and principal writer of Shaitan. K. Ravi Kumar is credited with additional screenplay work. The technical team includes Shanmuga Sundaram as director of photography, Sriram Maddury as music director and Shravan Katikaneni as editor.
- Creator and Director: Mahi V Raghav
- Writer: Mahi V Raghav
- Additional Screenplay: K. Ravi Kumar
- Producers: Mahi V Raghav and Chinna Vasudeva Reddy
- Director of Photography: Shanmuga Sundaram
- Music Director: Sriram Maddury
- Editor: Shravan Katikaneni
- Art Director: Rajkumar Murugesan
- Costume Designer: Hyndavi Suda
Shaitan Web Series Story
Shaitan begins with Baali already on the run after threatening and attacking a powerful political figure. From there, the narrative moves into his past to show the events that transformed him.
Baali grows up watching his family suffer under people who have power over them. His mother Savitri is exploited, while his sister Jayaprada also becomes vulnerable to the same brutal environment. These experiences create a deep resentment in Baali and convince him that ordinary legal or social systems will not protect his family.
As he grows older, Baali becomes involved in crime while trying to arrange money for his sister’s future. His path eventually brings him into contact with Kalavathi and members of a Naxal group. What begins as a personal fight for survival soon develops into a larger conflict involving armed rebels, police officers and political interests.
Baali is drawn deeper into the organisation and is asked to carry out increasingly dangerous acts. The entry of police officers Vijay Kumar and later Nagi Reddy changes the balance of the conflict. Raids, killings, betrayals and retaliatory attacks create a cycle in which every act of revenge produces another.
The series does not treat Baali’s violence as a simple action-hero device. Much of the drama comes from showing how personal loss, political violence and institutional abuse feed one another. Baali’s family remains at the centre of his decisions even as those decisions create new tragedies.
By the later episodes, Baali’s struggle has moved far beyond the original injustice that shaped him. His confrontations with Nagi Reddy and the political establishment bring the story back to the question raised at the beginning: whether a man who believes he is fighting injustice can still become the very thing he once hated.
How Many Episodes Are There in Shaitan?
Shaitan Season 1 has nine episodes. All nine episodes were released together on June 15, 2023. The episodes run for roughly 20 to 36 minutes and follow one continuous storyline.
- Episode 1: In the Lap of Death
- Episode 2: Lal Salam
- Episode 3: Kingdom of Shaitans
- Episode 4: Counter – Encounter
- Episode 5: Proof of Death
- Episode 6: The Price of Revenge
- Episode 7: Good + Bad vs Evil
- Episode 8: Liberated by Death
- Episode 9: The Birth of Shaitan
Shaitan OTT Platform and Release Date
Shaitan originally premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on June 15, 2023. It was released as a Telugu series and was also made available with dubbed audio in several Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.
Following the transition of Disney+ Hotstar in India, the series is currently available on JioHotstar. As of September 2026, it is also listed through Vi Movies & TV in India. Streaming availability can change, so viewers should check the current catalogue before taking a subscription specifically for the series.
What Kind of Series Is Shaitan?
Shaitan is a dark crime drama built around revenge, political violence and the consequences of institutional abuse. It contains strong violence, mature situations and harsh language, so its tone is very different from a conventional police thriller or family drama.
The series relies heavily on Baali’s point of view, but its supporting characters give the story a wider social and political setting. With only nine episodes, it moves quickly from family tragedy to organised violence and then towards a direct confrontation with the people Baali believes are responsible for his suffering.
