Saif Ali Khan in ‘Haiwaan’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A blind man, an innocent child, and an unhinged monster. As director Priyadarshan recreates Oppam (2016) for a Hindi audience, he sets the stage for an engrossing sensory thriller. It follows a visually impaired protagonist, Shyam (Saif Ali Khan), who accidentally becomes the protector of a young girl targeted by a ruthless serial killer, Parshuram (Akshay Kumar). The imagery of a thriller where the only man who can save a target can’t see the killer is appetising bait that pulls us to the edge of our seats.Alongside Sabu Cyril and Divakar Mani, the seasoned filmmaker designs an atmosphere where shadows and silhouettes combine to create subtext. In Saif, he has a performer whose visible hunger to become the character these days promises a believable clash. Playing a character etched for posterity by the inimitable Mohanlal, he internalises the blindness and creates a gaze devoid of intent. In his own way, he puts in the effort to bring the required gravitas to the character of a maintenance man in charge of a high-rise.Haiwaan (Hindi)Director: PriyadarshanCast: Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Saiyemi Kher, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Goverdhan Asrani, Sharib Hashmi, Rajpal YadavSynopsis: A visually impaired man with heightened senses becomes the prime suspect after a psychopathic killer murders his mentor.Runtime: 164 minutesHowever, ingredients don’t make the dish. Intent does. The makers follow a remake checklist, with little effort to harmonise the flavours of the original.
