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Table of Content
A blind man who "sees" everything through sound and touch versus a man fresh out of prison with nothing left to lose - that's the kind of setup that either makes for a gripping thriller or falls apart the moment the plot starts explaining itself.
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Movie Details |
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Movie Name |
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Release Date |
11 September 2026 |
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Lead cast |
Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan |
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Language |
Hindi |
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Genre |
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Director |
Priyadarshan |
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Producer |
Venkat K. Narayana and Shailaja Desai Fenn |
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Writer |
Priyadarshan |
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Music Composer |
Pritam |
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Cinematography |
Divakar Mani |
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Editor |
M.S. Ayyappan Nair |
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Rating |
3/5 |
This Haiwaan review is here to tell you which one you're actually getting.
What Is Haiwaan About?
Here's the twist that makes Haiwaan worth talking about before you even walk into the theatre - Priyadarshan, a director best known for loud, chaotic comedies, has gone completely dark with this one. Haiwaan is a remake of his own 2016 Malayalam hit Oppam, and this time he's brought the story to Mumbai, with Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar carrying the weight of it.
Saif plays Shyam Rane, a blind maintenance manager living inside a Mumbai high-rise, well-liked by the residents and especially close to one of them - a retired judge named Pradhan, played by Boman Irani. When the judge is murdered, Shyam becomes an unlikely witness. He can't see the killer, but he hears him, and that's more than enough to put a target on his back. Meanwhile, the judge's daughter Nandini finds herself pulled into a much bigger conspiracy than anyone expected.
On the other side is Akshay Kumar as Parshuram Gokhale, a man who walks out of prison for a crime he insists he never committed and goes on a violent hunt for the people connected to his downfall. What follows is basically a slow-burning game of cat and mouse, and that tension is really what carries this Haiwaan review's central point - this is far from Priyadarshan's usual comic territory.
Haiwaan Cast
The film rests on a fairly strong cast list. Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar lead the film as Shyam and Parshuram, with Saiyami Kher and Shriya Pilgaonkar rounding out the principal cast.
Boman Irani plays the murdered judge whose death kicks off the entire story, Sharib Hashmi appears in a supporting role, and veteran actor Asrani features in what is being talked about as one of his final on-screen appearances.
It's a solid lineup on paper, and most reviewers seem to agree that the actors are doing more heavy lifting than the script sometimes deserves.
Haiwaan Review
So does this crime thriller actually work? The honest answer, going by most reviews so far, is: partly.
Saif Ali Khan is being widely praised as the film's strongest asset. Playing a blind character for the first time, he leans on physicality, listening, and spatial awareness rather than exaggerated gestures, and it clearly pays off.
Akshay Kumar, stepping into the antagonist's shoes, also gets credit for trying something different from his usual comic collaborations with Priyadarshan, even if his menace doesn't always land as coldly as the role probably needed.
Also Read: Netflix Series Chumbak Review, Rating, Story, & More
Where this crime thriller stumbles a bit is in its pacing. At 164 minutes, Haiwaan runs long, and the film takes its time to properly get going. If you've already watched Oppam, a lot of the suspense won't surprise you, since Haiwaan sticks fairly close to the original story rather than reinventing it. There's also an odd mix of comedy dropped into scenes that probably needed to stay tense, which occasionally undercuts the mood this crime thriller is trying to build.
That said, it's not a film where everything falls apart either. The second half picks up considerably, and the confrontations between Shyam and Parshuram do generate real tension by the time the story reaches its climax.
Should You Watch It?
If you're a fan of a good crime thriller and enjoy strong lead performances even when the writing takes a while to warm up, Haiwaan is worth a watch. It's being described by multiple critics as a decent one-time watch rather than an unmissable classic, so keep your expectations set accordingly.
If you've already seen Oppam and are hoping for a dramatically different experience, you might come away a little underwhelmed, since Haiwaan sticks close to its source material. But for anyone new to the story, this crime thriller offers enough style, tension, and strong performances to make the runtime worth sitting through.
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