⭐ INVC NEWS Rating: 3/5
By Team INVC | INVC NEWS
MUMBAI, India | September 11, 2026 —
Haiwaan Review arrives with one irresistible selling point: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan are back together on the big screen after nearly two decades, but Priyadarshan has no interest in turning their reunion into a nostalgia exercise.
Instead, Haiwaan pushes the two stars into a dark crime thriller built around revenge, fear, pursuit and moral ambiguity.
The biggest surprise is Akshay Kumar.
After years of playing heroes, comic characters and patriotic protagonists, he embraces a darker personality here. Saif Ali Khan, meanwhile, provides the counterweight in a story that demands restraint as much as confrontation.
The combination produces several gripping moments.
However, Haiwaan also carries a major burden: a runtime of roughly 2 hours and 44 minutes.
That length eventually begins working against a thriller that should ideally become tighter as the danger increases.
Still, when Priyadarshan concentrates on Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, Haiwaan becomes difficult to ignore.
Haiwaan Story: What Is the Film About?
The film enters a world shaped by crime, punishment and revenge.
At the center lies a dangerous conflict involving characters whose histories gradually determine their actions.
Rather than revealing every major turn, it is better to experience the central cat-and-mouse game without spoilers.
The narrative shares creative DNA with Priyadarshan’s Malayalam thriller Oppam, although the filmmaker has publicly stressed that Haiwaan should not simply be treated as a straightforward remake.
That distinction matters.
The new Hindi film changes characters, expands its star dynamics and pushes the material toward a more commercial crime-thriller space.
Akshay Kumar’s Villain Turn Is the Main Attraction
Akshay Kumar playing against his established heroic image immediately creates curiosity.
He gets darker material here.
The character allows him to operate without the moral certainty that accompanies many of his mainstream protagonists.
That shift produces some of the movie’s most interesting moments.
Akshay does not always disappear completely into the darkness of the character, and certain portions could have benefited from greater psychological menace.
Nevertheless, watching him operate on the opposite side of the conventional hero-villain divide gives Haiwaan much of its novelty.
This is not simply Akshay Kumar performing another variation of his action-star persona.
The film actively asks audiences to look at him differently.
Saif Ali Khan Brings Restraint to the Conflict
Saif Ali Khan has long worked particularly well when a character requires internal tension rather than constant theatricality.
Haiwaan uses that quality.
His performance works because he does not try to compete with Akshay Kumar scene by scene through volume or physical dominance.
Instead, Saif frequently underplays.
That contrast helps the central confrontation.
Akshay supplies volatility.
Saif provides control.
The movie becomes substantially more interesting whenever Priyadarshan allows those opposing energies to occupy the same narrative space.
Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan Reunion Delivers Nostalgia Without Depending on It
Their reunion itself carries considerable marketing value.
Yet Haiwaan wisely does not spend its entire runtime reminding viewers that these two actors have worked together before.
The film gives them a new equation.
Audiences who remember their earlier collaborations will naturally bring nostalgia into the theater.
However, the characters here belong to a considerably darker world.
That makes the reunion feel more purposeful than simply bringing two stars together for publicity.
Priyadarshan Returns to Thriller Territory
Priyadarshan remains closely associated with some of Hindi cinema’s most popular comedies.
His filmography, however, extends far beyond comedy.
Haiwaan gives him an opportunity to return to suspense and crime.
He understands how to construct individual confrontations.
He also knows when silence can create more tension than constant background music.
Several sequences benefit from that old-school approach.
The problem arrives when the screenplay keeps adding material after establishing the central conflict.
A thriller needs escalation.
At times, Haiwaan provides expansion instead.
Those are not always the same thing.
2 Hours 44 Minutes Is Haiwaan’s Biggest Weakness
The CBFC-certified runtime is approximately 164 minutes.
That is a substantial commitment for a crime thriller.
Long films are not automatically problematic.
A 165-minute story can feel shorter than a two-hour movie when every sequence advances character or conflict.
Here, however, some portions could have been compressed.
The first half takes time establishing its pieces.
Later sections generate stronger tension, but unnecessary extensions occasionally interrupt the momentum.
A sharper edit could have made the central chase considerably more intense.
Supporting Cast Gives the Film Weight
Haiwaan surrounds its two stars with an experienced ensemble.
Boman Irani, Saiyami Kher, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Sharib Hashmi are among the prominent supporting names associated with the film.
Their presence helps prevent the story from becoming nothing more than an Akshay-versus-Saif showcase.
Boman Irani particularly fits naturally into Priyadarshan’s dramatic universe.
Supporting performances also help establish the consequences surrounding the central conflict.
However, the screenplay inevitably reserves its strongest material for its two headline stars.
Mohanlal Surprise Creates First-Day Buzz
One of the biggest talking points emerging from early screenings involves Mohanlal.
His appearance has quickly generated social-media attention among moviegoers.
For viewers familiar with Priyadarshan’s Malayalam cinema connections, the moment carries additional significance.
We will not reveal how the appearance fits into the film.
Going into that sequence without knowing its precise context makes the moment more effective.
For now, it is enough to say that first-day audiences have clearly noticed it.
Haiwaan Audience Reaction: Viewers More Positive Than Some Critics
Early audience reaction has leaned encouraging.
Social-media posts following initial screenings have praised the Akshay Kumar–Saif Ali Khan pairing, the thriller elements and Mohanlal’s appearance.
Some viewers have also highlighted the film’s second-half momentum.
However, reactions are not universally enthusiastic.
Pacing has emerged as a recurring concern.
The long runtime is another obvious dividing point.
Critical responses also appear more restrained than the initial fan reaction, with at least some reviews questioning whether Akshay Kumar’s antagonist reaches the level of menace the role demands.
That split makes Haiwaan particularly interesting.
It could become the kind of commercial thriller audiences enjoy more enthusiastically than critics.
Is Haiwaan a Remake of Oppam?
This requires careful wording.
Haiwaan has repeatedly been connected with Priyadarshan’s 2016 Malayalam thriller Oppam.
Some release coverage has directly described the Hindi film as a remake.
However, Priyadarshan has said Haiwaan should not be considered simply a remake of Oppam, while Boman Irani has also emphasized differences between the films.
Therefore, the safest description is that Haiwaan draws from or reworks material associated with Oppam while presenting significant changes for its Hindi version.
Viewers familiar with the Malayalam film may recognize structural elements, but they should not assume every development will unfold identically.
Haiwaan CBFC Certificate and Runtime
The Central Board of Film Certification cleared Haiwaan with a U/A 16+ certificate.
Its certified runtime stands at approximately 2 hours and 44 minutes.
The movie opened theatrically on September 11, 2026.
Those details also tell audiences what kind of experience to expect.
This is not a short, lightweight thriller.
It asks viewers to settle in for a lengthy crime drama.
What Works in Haiwaan
Saif Ali Khan: ★★★½☆
Controlled and convincing, particularly when the screenplay allows him to work through restraint.
Akshay Kumar: ★★★½☆
His darker turn creates the movie’s biggest curiosity, even if the character could have been more psychologically terrifying.
Akshay–Saif Face-Off: ★★★★☆
The contrasting personalities provide the film’s strongest commercial hook.
Priyadarshan’s Direction: ★★★½☆
Several sequences demonstrate his command of suspense and staging.
Supporting Cast: ★★★½☆
An experienced ensemble gives the central conflict additional weight.
Screenplay: ★★★☆☆
Strong situations lose some force because the narrative occasionally stretches them.
Pacing: ★★½☆☆
The 164-minute runtime becomes difficult to ignore.
Thriller Quotient: ★★★½☆
The second half and key confrontations provide enough tension to keep the film alive.
Should You Watch Haiwaan?
Yes, particularly if you want to see Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in an unusually dark reunion.
This is not a perfect thriller.
It is too long.
Some stretches needed tighter editing.
The villainous material could occasionally have pushed Akshay Kumar into even more uncomfortable territory.
Yet the central casting works.
Priyadarshan understands both actors and gives them enough contrasting material to make their confrontation worthwhile.
Fans of suspense thrillers should find enough here for a theatrical watch.
Fans of Akshay Kumar will also get a comparatively unusual performance rather than another conventional heroic role.
Haiwaan Review: Final Verdict
Haiwaan works best when it stops trying to become bigger and simply allows two strong actors to hunt, challenge and psychologically test each other.
Saif Ali Khan brings restraint.
Akshay Kumar brings unpredictability.
Priyadarshan supplies the thriller machinery connecting them.
The movie’s length prevents that machinery from operating at maximum efficiency, but it does not completely derail the experience.
Add an experienced supporting cast and a surprise that is already generating first-day conversation, and Haiwaan has enough theatrical ammunition to justify attention.
It may not become Priyadarshan’s sharpest thriller.
It does, however, turn the Akshay Kumar–Saif Ali Khan reunion into something substantially darker and more interesting than a nostalgia-driven star vehicle.
INVC NEWS Rating: ⭐ 3/5
Verdict: Worth Watching — especially for the Akshay Kumar–Saif Ali Khan face-off.
