Haiwaan review: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan play well in this old-school thriller

Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan have come together on screen 18 years after their last collaboration, Tashan, which was a major flop. Now, they have teamed up for Priyadarshan's next film, Haiwaan, and in this film, Saif is the hero, and Akshay is the Haiwaan, as this is what all of us are now. Both of them are fantastic actors who know exactly what they are portraying on screen, and in this film, they have portrayed their parts fantastically well. But how is Haiwaan as a film? Watchable, just like other Bollywood thrillers. So needless to say, we as an Indian audience are habitual of watching these kinds of movies, which we also call ''thrillers.''

While it's a remake, this is one of those thriller films that gives a feeling that you have seen this kind of film before and can guess what is coming up next. Having said that, this film keeps you decently hooked throughout, and for this, the actors deserve the credit. However, when Priyadarshan is in the director's chair, a little touch of comedy is expected, and it plays well.

Haiwaan: How is the story?

The Hindi remake of the Malayalam film Oppam, starring Mohanlal, revolves around Shyam, a blind man who, despite his disability, lives his life independently with the help of his intelligence and highly developed sense of smell. He manages all his daily responsibilities on his own, from taking care of his household chores to working as the manager of a high-end residential society in Mumbai. Shyam is very close to a retired Chief Justice, Pradhan (Boman Irani), who has a daughter, Nandini (Pahal Ashok Choudhary), whom he has kept hidden from the world, and Shyam is the only person who knows about her. One day, Pradhan tells Shyam about Parshuram Gokhale, an innocent man whom Pradhan had once been forced to declare guilty of a crime he did not commit. After being convicted, Parshuram's entire family committed suicide.

Now, after being released from prison, Parshuram is on a revenge spree against everyone connected to his case, including Pradhan and his daughter Nandini, who is studying at a boarding school. However, after he successfully kills Pradhan, his next target is Nandini and how Blind Shyam will save the girl makes the story a two-hour thriller.

Haiwaan - A thriller with a bittersweet taste

First things first, Haiwaan is strongly held by Saif, who, as the blind man Shyam, manages to get everything right. He gets hero treatment and does all the heroic things. But it never goes overboard at any point in the film. But, as a viewer, it feels odd when a blind man sings and dances on the ferry or even at a marriage. Akshay is there, and he brings out his villainous side, which we haven't seen for a while now. So it feels fresh. But this pairing has surely worked for me, at least.

Haiwaan falls short on two points: 1) timing, 2) a redundant story. Where the movie wins is in its execution, performances, cinematography, and music as well. While it lacks in two aspects, the other makes the film watchable if you don't watch it with the thought that it's a thriller.

A nearly two-and-a-half-hour film starts on an interesting note and, without wasting much time, builds up on the right track. The cat-and-mouse chase between Saif and Akshay's characters continues and holds your interest with their confrontations. But how much can two guys save a film when there is not much else to be explored? In thrillers, not everything becomes gripping with just serious zoom-ins and zoom-outs, shadowy or grey-toned shots, or a heavy tone.

While all of this is happening, the film loses its grip with its subplot, and the police investigation was surely one of the most irritating parts. While Haiwaan is decently made, it suffers a bit from genre fatigue.

Haiwaan comes with the old-school vibe that works because of the performances and the camera work that makes the movie watchable.