Haiwaan

A reunion 18 years in the making

Announced as one of the most talked-about Hindi thrillers of 2026, "Haiwaan" — the word means "beast" in Hindi and Urdu — brings Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan back onto the same screen for the first time since Vijay Krishna Acharya's caper "Tashan" (2008). As our newsroom put it: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan reunite under Priyadarshan. Nearly eighteen years separate the two collaborations, and the pairing is deliberately flipped this time — instead of sharing the frame as roguish partners, the two stars are set up on opposite sides of a cat-and-mouse crime story.

The film is directed by Priyadarshan, the veteran Malayalam-and-Hindi filmmaker best known to North Indian audiences for a long run of comedies with Akshay Kumar, from "Hera Pheri" and "Garam Masala" to "Bhool Bhulaiyaa." Asked why he keeps returning to Akshay, Priyadarshan told the press it comes down to trust, adding a line that made headlines: "For me, he is Bollywood's Mohanlal." "Haiwaan" marks a sharp tonal turn for that partnership — away from farce and toward a darker, suspense-driven register.

From 'Oppam' to 'Haiwaan'

"Haiwaan" grows out of Priyadarshan's own 2016 Malayalam blockbuster "Oppam," a crime thriller that starred Mohanlal as Jayaraman, a man blind from birth whose heightened senses of smell, sound and touch make him an unlikely witness after a resident of the building where he works is murdered. "Oppam" was a major commercial success, reported to have grossed above ₹52 crore worldwide, and it remains one of the most celebrated films of Mohanlal and Priyadarshan's decades-long collaboration.

Crucially, Priyadarshan has been careful to describe "Haiwaan" as inspired by "Oppam" rather than a shot-for-shot remake. In interviews he has said the dialogues and screenplay have been significantly reworked for the Hindi version, so long-time fans of the original should not expect an identical film. Because "Haiwaan" is still an upcoming release, the makers have kept its exact plot turns under wraps; what is confirmed is that the story carries forward the core hook of a blind protagonist drawn into a deadly crime he must survive and unravel.

The cast and characters

Saif Ali Khan steps into the role modelled on Mohanlal's original — a visually impaired man whose acute, compensating senses place him at the centre of a murder case. Akshay Kumar, by contrast, takes on the antagonist, a rare and much-discussed choice given that the actor has spent most of the last two decades in heroic, comic or patriotic roles rather than playing an out-and-out villain. Early coverage has framed the film as a clash between Saif's vulnerable, sharp-witted protagonist and Akshay's cold, menacing adversary.

Rounding out the ensemble are Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher in pivotal supporting parts. In a move sure to delight fans of the source film, Mohanlal — the face of the original "Oppam" — makes a confirmed special appearance. Priyadarshan has teased that the superstar's cameo will be a genuine surprise for audiences, with reports suggesting Mohanlal appears in a nod to his original character, Jayaraman.

Making of the film

"Haiwaan" is produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Shailaja Desai Fenn under the banners KVN Productions and Thespian Films. Filming began in Kochi — with sequences shot in the Panampilly Nagar area — before the production was scheduled to move across Vagamon, Ooty and Mumbai, reflecting the varied backdrops Priyadarshan favours for his thrillers.

As a bilingual sensibility runs through the project, the film reunites a distinctly South-Indian filmmaking pedigree with a marquee Hindi cast, a combination that has become increasingly common in pan-Indian cinema. With Priyadarshan reworking a story he knows intimately, and a cinematographer's eye for atmosphere, the making of "Haiwaan" is being watched as much for its craft as for its star wattage.

Why it matters

Scheduled to open in cinemas worldwide on 11 September 2026 — almost exactly a decade after "Oppam" first released in September 2016 — "Haiwaan" is one of the more closely watched Hindi releases of the year. It tests several things at once: whether Akshay Kumar can convincingly reinvent himself as a villain, whether Saif Ali Khan can carry a physically and emotionally demanding lead built around blindness, and whether Priyadarshan can translate the tension of his Malayalam hit for a national Hindi audience.

As an upcoming film, its critical and commercial fate is still unwritten, and no reviews or box-office figures exist yet. What is clear is the anticipation around it: a reunion of two major stars, a beloved director working from proven material, and a surprise turn from Mohanlal have combined to make "Haiwaan" a title that Bollywood watchers have circled well ahead of its release.

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