In an era where mainstream Hindi cinema rarely ventures into dark, uncompromising thrillers, Haiwaan arrives as a welcome surprise. A wrongly convicted man returns as a monster seeking revenge. Ace filmmaker Priyadarshan crafts an engaging thriller that keeps you invested from beginning to end without relying on Bollywood’s usual formulas.
Directed by Priyadarshan and a remake of the director’s own Malayalam film Oppam (2016), the movie strips away the usual commercial trappings of Bollywood. There are no item songs, no romantic detours, and no conventional heroine. Instead, it relies on tension, performances, and a relentless cat-and-mouse chase.
The film revolves around a man who is wrongly convicted of murder and spends years paying for a crime he did not commit. Upon his release, he transforms into a beast (Haiwaan) and embarks on a brutal quest for revenge against those he believes are responsible for the injustice done to him. What begins as vengeance gradually turns into a terrifying killing spree, blurring the line between victim and monster.
Two Stars, Two Contrasting Strengths
The biggest strength of the film is Akshay Kumar’s performance in a rare negative role. Known largely for playing heroic characters, he convincingly portrays a damaged man consumed by rage and vengeance. His character is ruthless, unpredictable, and frightening, giving the film much of its edge. This is not a career-defining performance, but it is certainly above average and refreshingly different from his usual screen image.
Saif Ali Khan provides an effective counterbalance as a blind man caught in the dangerous pursuit of the killer. Despite the absence of romantic songs or glamorous distractions, Saif manages to hold the audience’s attention through a restrained and sincere performance. His character becomes the emotional anchor of the story, and by the end viewers are likely to empathize with him the most.
The supporting cast does its job well. Rajpal Yadav as the auto driver, while providing occasional moments of lightness, also evokes sympathy and contributes meaningfully to the narrative. Shreya Pilgaonkar and the rest of the ensemble blend naturally into the story without being reduced to decorative characters.
Priyadarshan deserves credit for resisting commercial formulas. The film remains focused on its central conflict and keeps the audience constantly engaged. In fact, one of the most notable achievements of Haiwaan is that it leaves viewers feeling emotionally exhausted by the end, not because it is tiring, but because the director successfully immerses them in the chase and tension unfolding on screen.
An Intelligent Thriller That Doesn’t Fully Deliver – Haiwaan
That said, the film is not without flaws. The police procedural aspects often require a suspension of disbelief, and realism occasionally takes a back seat to narrative convenience. The screenplay is gripping enough to overlook these shortcomings, but viewers looking for a meticulously realistic crime drama may find certain developments difficult to accept.
Technically, the film scores well. The production values are polished, the pacing remains tight, and there is little unnecessary filler. It is a thriller that respects the audience’s intelligence and refuses to spoon-feed emotions.
Ultimately, Haiwaan is a gripping revenge thriller that may not redefine the genre, but its willingness to embrace a darker, more intelligent narrative makes it stand out among contemporary Hindi releases. Among the film’s major shortcomings is that Saif Ali Khan never quite convinces as a visually impaired man. More surprisingly, the much-loved Akshay Kumar-Saif Ali Khan pairing, which previously delivered crowd-pleasers like Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yeh Dillagi, fails to recreate its old-screen magic here.
Some from the supporting cast, occasionally veer into over-the-top territory, generating unintended laughs rather than the sense of menace or tension the narrative seeks to build. Though the running time of 164 minutes could have been trimmed by atleast a quarter of an hour.
– Review by Jyothi Venkatesh
Cast of Haiwaan:
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
Sharib Hashmi as Senior Inspector Ashok Shinde
Rajpal Yadav as Chandu (auto-rickshaw driver)
Asrani as Hussein, a security guard
Rajesh Sharma as SP Rohit Vardhan
Manoj Joshi as Pandurang
Pahal Chaudhary as Nandini
Naira Shah as Simran
Kiran Dange as Manya
Suchitra Pillai as Principal
Zeeshan Ali as Joy
Mohanlal as Jayaraman (in cameo appearance)
Credits of Haiwaan:
Production companies – KVN Productions, Thespian Films
Produced by Venkat K. Narayana, Shailaja Desai Fenn
Directed by Priyadarshan
Screenplay by Rohan Shankar, Abilash Nair, Priyadarshan
Dialogues by Rohan Shankar
Based on Oppam (Malayalam film) directed by Priyadarshan
Cinematography – Divakar Mani
Edited by M. S. Aiyyappan Nair
Songs: Pritam
BGM Score: Ronnie Raphael
