Haiwaan Review: A Stilted Thriller That Misses Every Mark

The Bollywood of 2026 has been in a desperate, protracted race to reinvent itself as theatre audiences continue to dwindle, yet the latest offering, 'Haiwaan,' proves that surface-level experimentation cannot compensate for poor storytelling. Starring Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar, the film is a misguided remake of Priyadarshan’s Malayalam hit 'Oppam.' Rather than leaning into the suspense inherent in its thriller roots, 'Haiwaan' suffers from a fatal case of over-dialoguing.

Every fleeting thought, past memory, or visible threat is painstakingly verbalized, robbing the audience of the luxury of nuance and forcing actors to pause high-octane sequences for tedious, breakfast-explaining monologues.

A Narrative Burdened

Shyam serves as a posh building’s maintenance manager, a music teacher, a kabaddi coach, and a struggling brother, all while navigating the world as a blind man. The script essentially treats his disability as a mystical science-fiction boon, fetishizing his hearing and smell while inconsistently forgetting these traits when the plot demands a sudden, convenient lapse.

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Saif’s performance remains equally disjointed; his nawaabi accent constantly clashes with the humble Marathi boy he is intended to portray, and his inconsistent handling of his character's blindness-struggling to navigate a home he supposedly knows intimately-reveals a total lack of research

Technical Prowess Without a Soul The

film’s cinematography is admittedly competent, yet it feels entirely devoid of purpose, resembling a collection of trendy, Googled "cool shots" rather than a visual language designed to serve the story. This soulless aesthetic extends to the supporting cast.

Boman Irani, playing the retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Pradhan, begins his performance with promise but ultimately cannot mask his disdain for the flimsy material.

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Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar’s Parshuram is reduced to a juvenile, caricaturish villain whose baritone delivery oscillates between a sleepover ghost story and a community theatre Ravan. When the film isn't trapped in these poorly executed character beats, it wanders into jarring narrative detours, including poorly integrated musical numbers that feel like mandatory filler to pad a grueling two-hour and 40-minute runtime.

The Systematic Failure of Representation

Beyond the technical shortcomings, 'Haiwaan' fails significantly in its representation and social commentary. The female characters, including Saiyami Kher’s Inspector Varsha and Shriya Pilgaonkar’s maid Naina, serve little purpose other than to anchor the male protagonists, leaving them with no agency in a case that is ostensibly botched The film is cluttered with unnecessary close-ups and blatant sponsorship segments, suggesting that the directors are more interested in the mechanics of a travel vlog than the craft of filmmaking.

Ultimately, Priyadarshan’s vision for this remake collapses under the weight of its own cynicism, proving that a high budget and big names cannot salvage a film that fundamentally misunderstands the genre it hopes to revive.