Okay so here’s the pitch that got everyone excited: Priyadarshan remaking his own Oppam (2016), the Mohanlal thriller that actually worked, this time with Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan sharing screen space for the first time in a while. Director who knows the material inside out, two big stars, a genuinely good story to borrow from. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out — pacing. And a villain who forgot to be scary.

So What’s It About

Saif plays Shyam, a blind guy who runs the show at a Mumbai high-rise — everyone from the residents to the watchman leans on him, and somehow he’s raised his younger siblings too. Cue Akshay’s character, a man with a genuinely tragic backstory (poisoned family, mental hospital, the works, courtesy of a very committed Boman Irani explaining it all to us) who’s now out for blood. Shyam gets stuck right in the middle, blind but not exactly helpless.

Good bones. Oppam already proved this story works. The problem is everything Priyadarshan built on top of it this time around.

The Film Really, Really Doesn’t Want To Start

There are THREE songs in this thing. Three. Plus a wedding scene and a dance number that shows up literally right before something important is supposed to happen, like the film is stalling for time. By the time the actual thriller portion begins, you’ve already checked your phone twice. At 2 hours 45 minutes, this needed a good 30-minute haircut — and everyone watching will feel exactly where those 30 minutes should’ve been cut.

The comedy track, to be fair, does work in patches — Sharib Hashmi as the inspector is genuinely funny and probably the MVP of the supporting cast. But comedy and thriller never really shake hands here; the funny bits show up right when the tension should be cranking up instead.

Akshay’s Villain: Not Quite The Haiwaan He’s Supposed To Be

Here’s the thing nobody wants to say about Akshay Kumar giving 100% commitment to a role: sometimes 100% commitment in the wrong direction is still the wrong direction. The film needed its villain ice-cold, unsettling, the kind of guy who makes the theatre go quiet. Instead there’s a fair bit of overacting that tips the scary scenes — including the climax, which should’ve been the big nerve-wracking payoff — into accidental comedy. You end up smirking when you’re meant to be tense.

Saif, on the other hand, is warm and believable as a devoted brother and building manager — just not fully convincing when the film needs him to be physically formidable. Minor issue, but you notice it.

MVPs Of The Supporting Cast

Honestly, the side characters carry this film more than the leads. The late Asrani as security guard Hussain is an absolute gem — funny, touching, everything you’d want, and a nice reminder of what a legend he was. Boman Irani does his reliable Boman Irani thing. Sharib Hashmi steals scenes. Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher, unfortunately, get the short end of the stick — talented actors stuck in nothing roles, which Bollywood thrillers just keep doing. And Mohanlal himself shows up for a blink-and-miss cameo, a nice nod even if it’s over in seconds.

Should You Watch It?

If you’ve already seen Oppam, skip straight past this — you’ll spot every beat coming, and the original is tighter, faster and just better all around. Never seen Oppam? Genuinely, go watch that one first (or instead).

Haiwaan isn’t a disaster. Decent cast, a story worth telling, some laughs along the way, a director who’s done this genre before. It just needed a sharper edit and a scarier villain — not the padded, occasionally funny-when-it-shouldn’t-be version that actually made it to theatres.

Verdict: Watchable, forgettable, forgivable — but you’ll wish someone had trimmed 30 minutes and told Akshay to dial it down a notch.