The makers of Haiwaan have unveiled the first-look posters of the upcoming thriller, giving fans their first glimpse into the dark, suspense-filled world created by director Priyadarshan. Ahead of the reveal, Akshay Kumar teased the shift from his usual comic roles with a caption that read, “Bahut hasaa liya, ab kal se haiwaniyat shuru” (“Enough laughs, the monstrosity begins tomorrow”).
Haiwaan is the Hindi remake of Priyadarshan’s own 2016 Malayalam hit Oppam, which starred Mohanlal in the lead role. The original film follows a blind martial artist who protects a young girl from a killer stalking her family, and the remake is expected to follow a similar premise, reworked with new dialogues and screenplay for a Hindi-speaking audience. Priyadarshan has confirmed that Mohanlal will make a cameo appearance in Haiwaan as well, in a role he has described as a surprise for the audience.
The posters were shared with the chilling tagline: “Some monsters don’t live under the bed. They live among us.” The reveal comes shortly after Akshay Kumar’s previous release, Welcome to the Jungle, reached theatres, keeping the actor in the spotlight. The film is also listed on IMDb under the alternate title Khiladi of Hells, although the makers have not officially confirmed it as a secondary title.
Oppam released in 2016 and went on to become one of the biggest Malayalam films of that year, earning over ₹52 crore worldwide and becoming the third-highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time at the time of its release. It was praised for Mohanlal’s performance and received several award nominations, including Best Film and Best Director at the Filmfare Awards South. The film was later dubbed in Telugu and remade in Hindi as the lesser-known Prime Witness, as well as in Kannada as Kavacha in 2019. Priyadarshan had spoken about wanting to make a full Bollywood version of the story even before Oppam released, and Haiwaan appears to be the fulfilment of that long-standing plan nearly a decade later.
Haiwaan marks the reunion of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan on screen for the first time in nearly 18 years, since Tashan (2008). The two had earlier worked together in films such as Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yeh Dillagi, and their pairing has long been a fan favourite. Sharing a post on Instagram when filming began, Akshay wrote that he was thrilled to be working with Saif again after so many years.
Talking about casting Akshay once again, Priyadarshan said it comes down to comfort, as he considers Akshay to be Bollywood’s own version of Mohanlal. The two have worked together several times over the years on films including Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, Bhagam Bhag, and Malamaal Weekly, and their partnership has produced some of Akshay’s most memorable comic performances. With Haiwaan, the director and actor are teaming up again, this time for a much darker, thriller-driven story than their earlier collaborations.
Along with Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, Haiwaan also stars Boman Irani, Saiyami Kher, and Shriya Pilgaonkar in key roles. The film also features veteran actors Asrani and Rajpal Yadav, along with Sharib Hashmi, rounding out the ensemble cast.
The film is written by Priyadarshan along with Rohan Shankar, with music composed by Pritam and the duo Salim-Sulaiman. Sabu Cyril serves as production designer, while Divakar Mani is the cinematographer. Production began in Kochi in August 2025 before moving to locations including Vagamon, Ooty, and Mumbai, and wrapped in December 2025. Haiwaan is produced by Venkat K. Narayan and Shailaja Desai Fenn under the banners KVN Productions and Thespian Films.
Haiwaan is scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on September 11, 2026.
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