Haiwaan movie review: Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar headline Priyadarshan’s thriller. But a scattered screenplay, long runtime, and uneven performances hold it back.
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| Image credit - KVN Productions |
Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar come together after a long time in Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan. They reunited after sharing the screen in Tashan (2008). The combination looks like a hit on paper. But does it deliver what it promises?
Haiwaan is a remake of Priyadarshan’s Malayalam thriller Oppam starring Mohanlal. The original follows a visually impaired man who uses his senses to protect a girl from a dangerous man.
Haiwaan adds Bollywood-style drama while the main plot remains the same as the original. Songs, comedy tracks, extra characters, and many dramatic moments are included.
These additions only increase the film’s duration instead of making it engaging. Keep reading our Haiwaan review to know whether you should invest your time here.
Haiwaan Movie Review: Overview
Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Boman Irani, Sharib Hashmi, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher, and Rajpal Yadav play important characters in Haiwaan under Priyadarshan’s direction.
Shyam Rane (Saif Ali Khan) is a visually impaired man who works as a building manager in Mumbai. He has a highly developed sense despite a lack of eyesight. Shyam can identify people by their voice, smell, and footsteps. He’s also trained in martial arts.
His family and people around him are his main focus. He is especially worried about the arrangement for his sister’s wedding.
Shyam’s life changes when he gets involved with a retired judge Pradhan (Boman Irani). The judge has a connection to a dangerous man named Parshuram Gokhale (Akshay Kumar) who has returned after spending years in prison & mental institution.
Parshuram wants revenge after a case destroyed his family. He believes the people connected to the convictions are the reason behind his destruction. He therefore starts finding and targeting them and their family.
Shyam eventually becomes responsible for protecting the retired judge’s secret daughter. This is why he comes in front of Parsuram. This creates enough setup for a cat-and-mouse thriller. But the film fails to keep focused on its central conflict. We’ll talk about it later in this Haiwaan film review.
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Haiwaan Movie Review: Story
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| Image credit - KVN Productions |
The story initially introduces the threat around Parshuram. We then meet Shyam and his unusual abilities with responsibilities he carries.
The judge’s past slowly takes centre stage. Although Parsuram was convicted in a serious criminal case, he keeps claiming that he is innocent. His conviction also had devastating consequences on his family.
Parshuram starts finding people he believes responsible for his downfall. Shyam enters the whole story as the judge believes his daughter could be his next target. The different strengths of the hero & villain make the story engaging.
Although Shyam cannot see, his other senses are still extremely sharp. Parshuram, on the other hand, depends on his physical strength, unpredictability, and psychological pressure.
Haiwaan’s screenplay keeps adding new subplots despite having a strong subplot. Shyam's family problems, the wedding track, the house-help subplot, and other supporting characters eat up most of its runtime.
Several songs and comic scenes also interrupt the main story instead of allowing the thrilling reaches to its complete potential.
The film becomes interesting when Shyam & Parshuram start moving toward their confrontation. This happens sadly when the suspense disappears due to many subplots in the first half.
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Haiwaan Movie Review: Performance
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| Image credit - KVN Productions |
Most actors deliver their best in Haiwaan. Saif Ali Khan has given a calm and sincere approach to Shyam. He manages to present a character who cares about his family and the people around him.
Saif’s emotional scenes work brilliantly compared to his action scenes. The only problem is that his character is written with unexpected abilities. He can identify people through tiny sounds, smells, and movements and can also fight trained opponents despite being visually impaired.
The idea indeed looks interesting on paper. But some scenes put his ability on an unbelievable stage. Viewers may also struggle to digest his transformation from an ordinary building manager into an almost unstoppable fighter.
Parshuram gives Akshay Kumar a different role compared to his recent films. His character is predictable and frightening. The performance, meanwhile, becomes loud and theatrical. Parshuram depends heavily on exaggerated expressions and dramatic dialogue delivery instead of creating fear through silences.
Boman Irani gives some seriousness to the story as a retired judge. Sharib Hashmi is among the most enjoyable characters as Inspector Sanjay Shinde. His comic timing works despite coming at the wrong time.
The late Asrani leaves a memorable impression as security guard Hussain. Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher didn’t get enough material despite the fact that they’re capable performers.
Mohanlal also makes a strong cameo after appearing in the original.
Technical Aspects
Priyadarshan understands the art of staging comedy and dramatic situations. But he fails to follow this approach in Haiwaan.
The screenplay is the biggest technical issue. Too many tracks have been introduced without enough attention. The film tries to be a psychological thriller, action film, family drama, and comedy simultaneously.
The runtime is also the biggest pain here. The film feels very long compared to the story it needs at around 3 hours. The songs also become a big distraction because they slow the story’s momentum instead of creating tension between Shyam and Prashuram.
The action sequence also has energetic moments. The villain lacks the needed restraint because Prashuram’s constant fear isn’t there.
Although the production has a much-needed scale of a Hindi movie, the presentation looks outdated. Saif and Akshay’s main chase is also the biggest missed opportunity. It creates excitement yet the screenplay doesn’t make enough use of their contrasting characters.
Where the Film Falls
Its lack of focus is among the biggest issues.
The main story had enough material to create tension. The screenplay keeps introducing subplots with weak impact on the main storyline. Some characters and scenes could have been naturally removed.
The villain is another issue. Although Akshay Kumar has played negative roles before, a quieter and more intimidating performance is needed for Parshuram. His constant theatrics reduce the sense of danger.
Its comparison with Oppam also works against the film. As Haiwaan follows the very close story to the original, the original’s viewers may find fewer surprises in this remake.
The second half deserves appreciation in this Haiwaan Movie Review because the story finally gets focused on the main battle between Shyam and Parshuram. There are some scenes where viewers start thinking it should have been from the beginning.
Haiwaan Movie Review: Verdict
Haiwaan has an interesting setup. 2 blockbuster stars and an experienced director are there. The combination sadly doesn’t deliver a gripping thriller.
The actors indeed give their full strengths, but it lacks a good screenplay. The film spends too much time on songs, comedy, and side tracks when it should be building the tension between its hero and villain.
Haiwan offers a few surprises for Oppam viewers. But those who haven’t watched the original should watch it instead of wasting time on this overlong thriller.
You can still watch Haiwan to see Akshay’s & Saif’s reunion after a long time and Akshay’s villain portrayal.
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Published: 11 September 2026 at 5:09 PM IST
