Haiwaan Movie Review: Lost in Translation

In 2000, Priyadarshan directed Akshay Kumar in Hera Pheri, a remake of the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, helmed by the duo Siddique-Lal. Hera Pheri changed the trajectory of Akshay’s career, giving his action avatar a comedic edge. Earlier this year, Priyadarshan reunited with Akshay to create the underwhelming Bhoot Bangla and now comes Haiwaan, a remake of his 2016 Malayalam film with Mohanlal, Oppam. It doesn’t work.

Akshay is the sadistic former convict, Parshuram, out to make life hell for Justice Pradhan, (Boman Irani) who sentenced him to prison, and Pradhan’s faithful, visually impaired assistant Shyam, played by Saif Ali Khan. It’s a cat-and-mouse game where the cat has no menace and the mouse has strong survival instincts but no game. Everyone tries hard, but the sense of community that rings so true in Malayalam cinema looks fake in the Mumbai version. Akshay needs to reinvent himself; but for that, he has to ensure he serves the story rather than the other way around.