Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan return to the screen together in Haiwaan, a Hindi psychological crime thriller directed by Priyadarshan and scheduled for theatrical release on September 11, 2026.
The official trailer presents Akshay in a rare antagonist role and Saif as a visually impaired man pulled into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. A series of murders, a child in danger and a hero who must rely on senses other than sight form the core of the film's suspense.
Haiwaan reconnects two stars who have not led a film together in nearly two decades. It also takes Priyadarshan away from the broad comedy many Hindi audiences associate with him and back toward the darker thriller territory of his 2016 Malayalam film Oppam.
Haiwaan release date and basic details
- Theatrical release: September 11, 2026
- Language: Hindi
- Genre: Psychological crime thriller
- Director: Priyadarshan
- Lead actors: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan
- Producers: KVN Productions and Thespian Films
- Distributor: Pen Marudhar
- Music: Pritam
- Background score: Ronnie Raphael
The release date places Haiwaan in the September theatrical window, with advance booking information expected from cinema chains closer to opening day.
What the Haiwaan trailer reveals
The trailer establishes Saif Ali Khan's character as a blind man who becomes responsible for protecting a young girl. His inability to see is presented as a tactical challenge, not helplessness; he studies voices, movement and behaviour while people around him underestimate what he can understand.
Akshay Kumar appears as the threatening force on the other side of the pursuit. The footage positions him as controlled, unpredictable and capable of violence, a sharp contrast with the comic and heroic roles that dominate much of his filmography.
The story involves a pattern of killings that authorities are struggling to solve. The trailer refers to seven families being killed over a year, creating a larger mystery around the antagonist's motive and the connection between the victims.
Rather than reveal the complete plot, the campaign focuses on the mind game between hunter and hunted. The key question is whether Saif's character can identify and outmanoeuvre a killer while protecting the child.
Haiwaan full cast
The announced ensemble includes:
- Akshay Kumar
- Saif Ali Khan
- Boman Irani
- Shriya Pilgaonkar
- Saiyami Kher as Inspector Varsha Joshi
- Rajpal Yadav
- Sharib Hashmi
- Rajesh Sharma
- Manoj Joshi
- Jisshu Sengupta as Anna Seth
- Pahal Chaudhary
- Naira Shah
- Mohanlal in a cameo appearance
Boman Irani's involvement has drawn particular attention because Haiwaan reunites him with Priyadarshan after Tezz. He has described the film as a chance for performers commonly associated with comedy to work in a different register.
Mohanlal's cameo also links the new Hindi film directly to Oppam, in which he played the central role.
Is Haiwaan a remake of Oppam?
Haiwaan is connected to Priyadarshan's 2016 Malayalam thriller Oppam, but the director has indicated that it is not intended as an exact scene-by-scene copy.
Oppam followed a blind lift operator who becomes the prime suspect in a murder and must protect a girl from a serial killer. The film's suspense came from the hero's heightened awareness, the police investigation and the antagonist's effort to stay ahead of him.
The Haiwaan trailer retains the central idea of a blind protagonist, a threatened child and a killer. Character relationships, setting, scale and specific plot turns may differ in the Hindi version.
Viewers who know Oppam should therefore expect familiar foundations but not assume every reveal will be identical. Priyadarshan has the opportunity to adjust the mystery for an audience that may already know the original ending.
Akshay Kumar as the villain
Akshay's casting is one of the film's biggest selling points. He has played morally grey or negative characters before, but the Haiwaan campaign leans heavily into the novelty of seeing him as a menacing opponent to Saif.
Priyadarshan has said other actors were considered before Akshay accepted the role. The director wanted a performance that could move away from the easy comic chemistry audiences associate with their previous collaborations.
The trailer suggests restraint rather than constant shouting. Akshay's smiles and calm delivery are used to make the character harder to read. For a psychological thriller, that can be more effective than presenting the villain as openly aggressive in every scene.
The role also changes the expected star dynamic. A mainstream film usually asks viewers to support Akshay's character; Haiwaan appears to use that familiarity to make his threat more unsettling.
Saif Ali Khan's visually impaired protagonist
Saif's character carries the emotional and tactical burden of the story. He must convince others that he understands the danger while protecting someone more vulnerable than himself.
Playing blindness responsibly requires more than dark glasses or a fixed gaze. The performance must show how the character maps spaces, recognises people and makes decisions using sound, memory and touch.
The trailer's dialogue argues that stupidity is more dangerous than blindness, signalling that the film wants the hero's intelligence to define him rather than his disability.
The role also offers Saif a return to the kind of controlled thriller performance that has produced some of his most distinctive work. His character needs to remain believable as an ordinary person while still driving a commercial suspense film.
Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan reunite
The two actors were prominent on-screen partners in the 1990s and 2000s, appearing together in films including Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Yeh Dillagi and Tashan.
Haiwaan brings them back in opposition rather than as comic or action partners. That makes the reunion central to the marketing without requiring the film to imitate their earlier work.
Their off-screen familiarity may help the confrontation feel more layered. The story depends on one character anticipating the other's choices, and established chemistry can support that rhythm even when the characters are enemies.
Priyadarshan returns to a dark genre
Hindi audiences often identify Priyadarshan with Hera Pheri, Hungama, Hulchul and other comedies. His wider career includes crime dramas, psychological stories and thrillers across Malayalam and Hindi cinema.
Haiwaan is promoted as his 99th film and brings several long-time collaborators into a more serious project. The production design is by Sabu Cyril, cinematography by Divakar Mani and screenplay by Rohan Shankar.
The challenge is tonal control. A thriller built around murders and a child in danger cannot allow comic supporting characters to dissolve the tension. At the same time, moments of warmth are needed to make the audience care about the people being protected.
Music and background score
Pritam is credited for the songs, while Ronnie Raphael provides the background score.
The first song, “Mere Hero Hai Woh,” highlights the softer bond between Saif's character and the child. That emotional relationship is likely to give the chase its stakes.
For a film like Haiwaan, the score may be more important than the soundtrack. Sound is part of how a blind protagonist experiences danger, so footsteps, voices, silence and directional audio can become storytelling tools.
Will Haiwaan release on OTT?
Haiwaan is first scheduled for cinemas on September 11. Reports have linked the film's digital and satellite rights to Sony Pictures Networks India, but a confirmed streaming premiere date has not been announced.
The theatrical-to-streaming window will depend on distribution plans and box-office performance. Viewers should wait for an announcement from the producers or streaming platform rather than rely on unofficial dates.
Why Haiwaan could attract overseas viewers
Akshay and Saif both have established audiences in the Gulf, United Kingdom, North America and other overseas Hindi-film markets. Priyadarshan and Mohanlal also give the project recognition among Malayalam cinema fans.
Thrillers can travel more easily than dialogue-heavy comedies because a chase, murder mystery and protection story are understood across cultures. The Oppam connection may also encourage viewers to compare how one director reinterprets his own material in another language and industry.
The biggest risk is familiarity. Audiences who have seen Oppam will expect meaningful changes, while newcomers need the mystery to work without background knowledge. Haiwaan must satisfy both groups.
What to watch before release
The final ten days of promotion should clarify advance-booking dates, runtime, censor certification and overseas screen counts.
The trailer has already established the main conflict. Further clips should avoid revealing the killer's motive or the story's central twist. For a suspense film, protecting the mystery is more valuable than explaining every character before opening day.
Haiwaan reaches cinemas on September 11, with its main promise clearly defined: Akshay Kumar as a threatening antagonist, Saif Ali Khan as a blind protector and Priyadarshan revisiting a thriller idea through a new Hindi ensemble.
Sources
- Official Haiwaan trailer from the film's production and music partners
- BookMyShow: Haiwaan release date, cast and crew
- Indian Express: Boman Irani on Haiwaan and reuniting with Priyadarshan, August 31, 2026
- The Hindu: Haiwaan release date and Akshay-Saif reunion
Thumbnail: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan on the Haiwaan theatrical poster.
