Haiwaan Movie Review: Strong Performances Meet a Disjointed Screenplay

Star Cast: Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan

Director: Priyadarshan

HAIWAAN tells the story of a blind man fighting a notorious man. Shyam (Saif Ali Khan) is a young, blind maintenance manager working in an upscale Mumbai society. His family is based in Devgad, and his sister Shraddha (Yamini Joshi) is about to get married, requiring Shyam to raise money and pay off a loan. Shyam is close to Judge Pradhan (Boman Irani), the ex-chief justice of India and a resident of the same society, who confides in Shyam about a long-held guilt involving a man named Parshuram (Akshay Kumar). Unknown to Pradhan, Parshuram has set his eyes on him and is waiting to attack, while Shyam unwittingly poses a major obstacle for him.

Adapted from the 2016 Malayalam film OPPAM, the story by Priyadarshan has immense potential. However, the screenplay by Priyadarshan, Abilash Nair, and Rohan Shankar is described as weak, stretched, and disjointed. While Rohan Shankar’s dialogues include some funny one-liners in trademark Priyadarshan style, they lack the impact of his previous works.

Priyadarshan's direction yields interesting moments, particularly during the face-offs between Shyam and Parshuram, a clapworthy massy police station scene, and a surprising phone booth sequence. First-rate technical work also helps enhance the tension in several scenes.

On the flipside, the first half is disjointed, featuring numerous tedious songs and unresolved subplots. Characters' actions, such as Shyam frequently taking leave despite his employment as a society maintenance manager, and Parshuram's wealth remain unexplained. Additionally, the Devgad track ends abruptly, female characters do not receive proper closure, and the climactic fight ends up unintentionally funny.

In terms of performances, Akshay Kumar delivers an impressive silent act with limited screen time, though his dialogue delivery is slightly over-the-top. Saif Ali Khan commands the maximum screen time with a convincing portrayal of a visually impaired man and excels in action scenes. Boman Irani is dependable, Saiyami Kher (Inspector Varsha) is decent, and Shriya Pilgaonkar (Naina), Sharib Hashmi (Senior Inspector Ashok Shinde), and Rajpal Yadav (Chandu) are hindered by the writing. The film also features late Asrani (Security Guard Hussein), Rajesh Sharma (SP Rohit Vardhan), Pahal Ashok Choudhary, Yamini Joshi, Manoj Joshi (Pandurang), and Suchitra Pillai (Catherine D'Souza).

Pritam's music, including tracks like 'Rangiyara' and 'Mere Hero Hai Woh', is forgettable. Conversely, Ronnie Raphael's background score, Divakar Mani's cinematography, Stunt Silva and Ravi Thyagarajan's action choreography, and Sabu Cyril's production design stand out, while Aiyappan Nair M S's editing is noted as weak.

Ultimately, HAIWAAN relies on its lead performances and technical values, but is limited by its disjointed screenplay and underwhelming climax.