Haiwaan (film)

Haiwaan
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Priyadarshan
Screenplay by	Rohan Shankar Abilash Nair Priyadarshan
Dialogues by	Rohan Shankar
Based on	Oppam (Malayalam) by Priyadarshan
Produced by	Venkat K. Narayana Shailaja Desai Fenn
Starring	Akshay Kumar Saif Ali Khan Boman Irani Shriya Pilgaonkar Saiyami Kher
Cinematography	Divakar Mani
Edited by	M. S. Aiyyappan Nair
Music by	Songs: Pritam Score: Ronnie Raphael
Production companies	KVN Productions Thespian Films
Distributed by	Pen Marudhar
Release date	11 September 2026 (2026-09-11)
Running time	164 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	est. ₹100–115 crore
Box office	₹11.52 crore

Haiwaan (transl. Beast; lit. 'Animal') is a 2026 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir crime thriller film co-written and directed by Priyadarshan. Produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films, it is a remake of Priyadarshan's own 2016 Malayalam film, Oppam and stars Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher while Mohanlal makes a cameo appearance. It marks the on-screen reunion of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan after 18 years, where they last collaborated in Tashan (2008) as well as the final film appearance of Asrani, who died in October 2025.

The film was released theatrically on 11 September 2026. It received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. The film opened to a lukewarm response at the box office, ending up as a massive box-office disaster.

Plot

Shyam Rane is a visually impaired man who works as the maintenance manager of an upscale residential society in Mumbai. Although he cannot see, Shyam has extraordinarily sharp hearing, smell and spatial awareness, and he is also skilled in martial arts. He is a kind and helpful person who is trying to earn enough money to support his family and help with his sister Shraddha’s upcoming marriage. Shyam is particularly close to Justice Pradhan, a retired Chief Justice who lives in the same society and considers Shyam a trusted friend.

Justice Pradhan carries a deep sense of guilt over a case from his past involving Parshuram Gokhale. Years earlier, Pradhan had sentenced Parshuram to prison for a serious crime. Parshuram repeatedly insisted that he was innocent, but the evidence presented in court was overwhelming, leaving Pradhan with no choice but to convict him. The conviction destroyed Parshuram’s family. While Parshuram was imprisoned, his family died in a tragic murder-suicide, leaving Parshuram with nothing when he eventually came out of prison. Convinced that Pradhan and everyone connected to the case were responsible for destroying his life, Parshuram becomes consumed by revenge and begins hunting down the people he blames and their families.

Pradhan eventually learns that Parshuram is free and fears that he will come after him. He tells Shyam about his past and reveals that he has a secret daughter named Nandini, who has been kept away from him and is living at a missionary school in Dehradun for her protection. Pradhan is especially worried because Parshuram may eventually discover her existence. Knowing that his relatives are primarily interested in his wealth, Pradhan entrusts Shyam with money and asks him to make sure Nandini is protected if anything happens to him.

Parshuram eventually finds Pradhan and kills him. Shyam arrives around the time of the murder and, despite being unable to see the attacker, uses his heightened senses to recognize that someone else is present. He encounters the killer and fights with him, but Parshuram manages to escape. Because of the circumstances surrounding Pradhan’s death and the evidence that appears to point toward Shyam, the police begin treating Shyam as a suspect. Shyam has to deal with the investigation while also realizing that Pradhan’s killer is still looking for Nandini.

Parshuram learns about Nandini and makes her his next major target because he sees her as part of Pradhan’s family and therefore part of the life he wants to destroy. Shyam travels to protect Nandini and becomes responsible for keeping the young girl safe while trying to prove that he did not murder Pradhan. Inspector Varsha Joshi becomes involved in the investigation, while other police officers, particularly Inspector Shinde, try to piece together what happened. Shyam’s unusual abilities repeatedly help him escape dangerous situations because he can recognize people through their voices, movements, smells and sounds even when he cannot see them.

As Shyam and Nandini try to stay ahead of Parshuram, the situation becomes increasingly dangerous. Parshuram follows them and repeatedly attempts to get closer to Nandini. Shyam discovers more information about Pradhan’s past and realizes that the secret surrounding Nandini is more complicated than he originally understood. The police investigation continues at the same time, making Shyam’s situation even more difficult because he has to avoid being arrested while protecting Nandini.

Eventually, Parshuram succeeds in trapping Shyam and Nandini inside an isolated school building. He begins stalking them through the building, using disguises and different methods to confuse and frighten them. Shyam has to rely almost entirely on his hearing and instincts because he cannot see where Parshuram is. Parshuram becomes increasingly determined to reach Nandini, while Shyam tries to keep her hidden and find a way for both of them to escape.

The final confrontation becomes a prolonged cat-and-mouse chase between Shyam and Parshuram. Parshuram searches through the building while Shyam uses sounds, movement and his knowledge of the surroundings to determine where his enemy is. Nandini remains frightened and dependent on Shyam for protection. As Parshuram closes in, Shyam finally confronts him directly, turning the situation into a physical struggle between the two men.

The truth about Pradhan’s past, Parshuram’s revenge and Nandini’s connection to Pradhan is finally brought together during the confrontation. Shyam manages to protect Nandini and faces Parshuram rather than allowing him to complete his revenge. The long pursuit between the two men finally comes to an end, with Parshuram’s campaign of revenge stopped and Shyam’s role in Pradhan’s death clarified. Shyam ultimately succeeds in keeping Nandini safe, fulfilling the promise he made to Pradhan and bringing the story of Parshuram’s revenge to an end.

In a post credit scene Nandini along with Shyam is about to cross the road when another blind man named Jayaraman interacts with them and is seen crossing road with help of Nandini.

Cast

• Akshay Kumar as Parshuram Gokhale
• Saif Ali Khan as Shyam Rane
• Shriya Pilgaonkar as Naina
• Saiyami Kher as Inspector Varsha Joshi
• Boman Irani as Judge Pradhan
• Rajpal Yadav as Chandu
• Asrani as Hussain
• Sharib Hashmi as Senior Inspector Ashok Shinde
• Rajesh Sharma as SP Rohit Vardhan
• Manoj Joshi as Pandurang
• Pahal Chaudhary as Nandini
• Naira Shah as Simran
• Kiran Dange as Manya
• Abeer Meherish as Nagesh
• Kalpana Rao as Saithabma
• Kanchan Pagare as Sudhir, a security guard
• Ashish Gokhale as SI Pandey
• Suchitra Pillai as Principal
• Ashok Kelkar as Pillai
• Radhika Chavan as Mary
• Mohit Raj as Albert
• Yamini Joshi as Shraddha
• Zeeshan Ali as Joy
• Krishna Kotian as Mr. Bareeto
• Naresh Asija as Mr. Gulati
• Donny Kapoor as Mrs. Gulati
• Bhavna Pani as Zeba Ahmed
• Mohanlal as Jayaraman (cameo appearance)

Production

Development

Pre-production began in May 2025. The film's title was revealed as Haiwaan. The film was announced in July 2025, a remake of the 2016 Malayalam film Oppam, starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan.

Casting

In April 2025, it was reported that Saif Ali Khan would appear in the film. Initially, Bobby Deol was considered for the antagonist's role, but declined as he was not happy with the part. Akshaye Khanna was then approached before Akshay Kumar was cast in the film. In August 2025, Asrani, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher joined the cast. Mohanlal, who played the lead in the original film, was confirmed to make a cameo appearance.

Filming

Principal photography began in 2025 in Kochi, Kerala, with scenes filmed in the Panampilly Nagar area. Production subsequently moved to Vagamon and Ooty, which was completed within the same month.

In mid-October, the unit returned to Mumbai for the final schedule. Portions of the film were shot at several locations, including Churchgate railway station, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bandra Kurla Complex and Alibaug.

Asrani completed filming before his death. Mohanlal filmed a cameo appearance, while Shriya Pilgaonkar announced that she had completed filming her portions.

Filming wrapped in December 2025 at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. The film was shot extensively in multiple locations including Kochi, Vagamon, Ooty and Mumbai. Post-production was completed in July 2026.

Music

Haiwaan
Soundtrack album by Pritam
Released	11 September 2026
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	14:21
Language	Hindi
Label	Zee Music Company
Pritam chronology
Cocktail 2 (2026) Haiwaan (2026) TBA (2026)
Official audio
Haiwaan – Full Album on YouTube

The soundtrack has been composed by Pritam, with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar. The film score was composed by Ronnie Raphael.

The first single "Mera Hero Hai Woh" was released on 19 August 2026. The second single "Rangiyara" was released on 31 August 2026. The third single "Main Toh Nahi Haiwaan" was released on 7 September 2026.

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Main Toh Nahi Haiwaan"	Kumaar	Raghav Chaitanya	2:56
2.	"Farratta"	IP Singh	Jonita Gandhi, Romy, Saaj Bhatt	4:25
3.	"Mera Hero Hai Woh"	Javed Akhtar	Shaan, Vanika Nayak	3:34
4.	"Rangiyara"	Yatindra Mishra, Thomson Andrews	Shaan, Sukhwinder Singh, Romy	3:26
Total length:				14:21

Marketing

The first look posters were unveiled on 15 July 2026. The teaser was revealed on 12 August 2026. The official trailer was revealed on 25 August 2026.

Release

Theatrical

The film was theatrically released on 11 September 2026.

Home media

In a pre-release deal, Sony Pictures Networks acquired the post-theatrical digital and satellite rights of the film for ₹80 crore.

Certification

The film received a U/A 16+ certificate on 8 September 2026 by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after certain cuts. The CBFC's Examining Committee asked the makers to suitably modify a visual in the first half of the film, delete a derogatory sentence and replace the same with, "Dimaag ki vaat laga ke rakh di," (loosely translated: "Messed up my mind,") around the intermission in the film and delete a word and replace the same with 'kamina' (meaning 'scoundrel') in the second half of the film. There were no visual cuts enforced by the CBFC. The runtime of the film is 164.07 minutes.

Reception

Box office

Haiwaan grossed ₹11.52 crore (US$1.2 million) worldwide. It grossed ₹10.37 crore (US$1.1 million) in India and ₹1.15 crore (US$120,000) in overseas market.

On its opening day, the film earned ₹2.79 crore net at the domestic box office.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 24% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10.

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 3 stars out of 5, noting, "Textually similar, texturally different and tonally entirely its own beast, Haiwaan, starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, struggles to shrug off the shadow of Mohanlal and Oppam (2016)."

Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times also gave the film 3 stars out of 5. He had some praise for Priyadarshan's direction, writing, "Priyadarshan is good at building worlds and creating a sense of atmosphere, and Haiwaan has a few sequences where he does that rather convincingly." However, he criticised the plot and Saif Ali Khan being unconvincing as a visually impaired man, writing, "The film leading up to the climax, however, is riddled with plot holes. Saif Ali Khan is not convincing as a visually impaired man from the very beginning." Being critical of the film's soundtrack, he wrote, "Pritam's music is one of the film's weakest links." He also observed that Akshay Kumar's acting potential was held back and wasted by the poor writing of the film, writing, "Akshay Kumar could have done so much more with Parshuram had the writing given him more to work with."

Shweta Keshri of India Today gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and pointed out, "Here is the central issue. Haiwaan's villain needed to be genuinely frightening — the kind of threat that makes you understand why an entire film has been built around stopping him. Akshay Kumar has played antagonists before and done it well. But the Haiwaan on screen is not haiwaaning enough. This Haiwaan is not beast enough. The performance leans into over-the-top in a way that tips occasionally into unintentional comedy rather than dread. The final sequence, in particular, which should have been the film's most tense passage, lands differently than intended."

Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India also gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and concluded in her review, "Barring a few effective hide-and-seek action sequences between the two leads, Haiwaan struggles to grip. It picks up somewhat after the interval, but with a runtime of 2 hours and 44 minutes, the film ultimately stretches a thin premise far beyond its limits leaving little impact by the time it ends. The Conjuring-style finale takes the tension out of the climax, veering into unintentional humour."

A critic at Bollywood Hungama gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5 as well, concluding, "On the whole, HAIWAAN rests on Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar's performances, a few engaging face-offs and strong technical values. However, the disjointed screenplay, excessive subplots, weak songs and an underwhelming climax limit its impact. With the hype around the film also being quite low, its box-office prospects appear dim.

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 2 stars out of 5 and summed up in her review, "When Priyadarshan is on top of his game, all his madly-disparate moving parts somehow come together and give us a rumbustious climax. Sadly, Haiwaan is more miss than hit, more uff uff than ole ole."

Shachi Chaturvedi of News18 also gave the film 2 stars out of 5, concluding, "What makes Haiwaan particularly disappointing is the fact that it brings together Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan after 17 years. Two stars of their stature and talent should have had far better material to work with. Instead, they spend much of the film trying to carry a sloppy screenplay on their shoulders, and even their combined presence isn't enough to rescue it. Haiwaan might just leave you hairaan and pareshan. You're better off waiting for its OTT release, because you might need a few breaks to make it through this one."

Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in critiqued, "Every detail is spelt out, resulting not just in a very slow set-up but also enhanced awareness among viewers of how absurd the premise is. When a film refuses to get going, it's easier to spot the gaps in the writing, the convenient ruses created to give Shyam an upper hand over a supposedly maniacal, deadly adversary."

Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India, highly critical of the film, ended his review with, "The most constructive criticism I can offer is: Why? The kindest thing I can say about Haiwaan is that it ends."

Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave the film 1 star out of 5, writing, "Watching Haiwaan is such a tormenting exercise, I wonder whether everyone associated with this monstrosity made a secret pact to remain blindfolded at the time of script reading."

Aishani Biswas of Outlook also gave the film 1 star out of 5, writing, "At 2 hours and 44 minutes, Haiwaan has enough running time to build a genuinely absorbing psychological thriller. Instead, its length exposes how much of the screenplay is unnecessary. The editing and background score occasionally create the required tension, but neither can compensate for a story that keeps veering off course." She appreciated Saif Ali Khan's portrayal, writing, "Playing a blind character for the first time, he gives Shyam a physicality that doesn't rely on exaggerated gestures. His movements, listening and spatial awareness create a believable sense of how the character negotiates the world." She also appreciated Akshay Kumar's screen presence in spite of the writing, noting, "His presence is stronger than the writing behind him." Furthermore, she noted, "The film also touches on police brutality and the way institutional power can turn vulnerable people into convenient suspects. These ideas could have given Haiwaan a darker moral centre. Instead, the screenplay keeps looking for shortcuts."

External links

• Haiwaan at IMDb
• Haiwaan at Bollywood Hungama