FILM REVIEW SACHIN CHATTE
Film: Haiwaan
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Shriya Pilgaonkar
Directed by: Priyadarshan
Duration: 2 hours 44 minutes
Rating: * *
Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan is a remake of his own Malayalam film Oppam (2016), which was a big hit a decade ago. After watching Haiwaan, I spent some time wondering why Priyadarshan chose to remake a successful film of his own. What value addition could he possibly bring to it? Alas, I couldn’t think of a satisfactory answer—except that commercial considerations must have warranted it.
This is also one of those films that begins in fifth gear, gradually loses momentum and, by the interval, comes to a complete standstill. Mohanlal’s name appears in the opening credits as a special appearance. The actor finally appears on screen at the end, after the obligatory “Filmed by Priyadarshan” credit.
Mohanlal played a blind man in the original. Here, he is replaced by Saif Ali Khan, and the setting shifts from Kerala to Mumbai. Saif plays Shyam Rane, and sincere as he is, he doesn’t quite pass for a Marathi ‘manoos’. Mostly dressed in a kurta, Shyam is visually impaired and works as the maintenance manager — an extremely capable one — of a fancy Mumbai high-rise. He also owns a shop in the neighbourhood, which he’s rented out, but back in the village, there still isn’t enough money to marry off his sister. The first hour overloads on information, with things happening at a rapid pace and no real pay-off.
Boman Irani plays a retired Chief Justice who lives in the high-rise, with Shyam as his most trusted ally. Judge ‘saab’ is single but has an illegitimate daughter, who looks more like his granddaughter in age—but let’s not get into that. This is apparently supposed to be a secret, though everyone seems to know about it and keeps talking about it.
Then there is Parshuram (Akshay Kumar), who was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison for seven years. Unable to bear the shame, his family commits suicide. Once released, he sets out for revenge, bumping off everyone involved in his case, regardless of where they are. The retired judge recounts Parshuram’s story to Shyam: he had pleaded innocence, but with the evidence overwhelmingly stacked against him, the judge had no choice but to sentence him.
Shriya Pilgaonkar plays a domestic help who works in the building. She also steals the show in a designer lehenga during a wedding song. Yes, there is an elaborate wedding song, shot on an expansive set, celebrating the wedding of two characters who have absolutely no bearing on the story. They exist, one suspects, primarily to give us this unnecessary song.
Shyam may be visually impaired, but his other senses are extraordinary — he can smell, hear, and fight better than anyone around him. In one scene, he single-handedly takes on a bunch of stick-wielding cops.
Parshuram is baying for the blood of the judge and his illegitimate daughter. The only person standing in his way is Shyam. There are other Priyadarshan regulars, including Rajpal Yadav and the late Asrani, who plays a security guard. Saiyami Kher plays a smart cop, while Sharib Hashmi is her colleague, who appears to be perpetually a few steps behind. A particular scene in which he investigates who saw a dead body first goes on for so long that you begin to wonder if the goats will ever come home.
While the film moves briskly—too briskly, in fact—with non-stop chatter in the first half it slows down, and how. Silliness takes centre stage and remains there until the very end. The jokes are as flat as a soda bottle opened in the morning and consumed only in the evening. The characters’ motivations also fail to convince. You wonder why a convict would go to such lengths for revenge, especially against a man who is already dead. If anything, one would expect a remake to correct the shortcomings of the original. No such luck.
The performances are passable. Saif Ali Khan puts his best foot forward, but the characterisation takes things too far. Akshay Kumar, meanwhile, seems to sleepwalk through his role.
Which brings me back to the question: Why was this film made?
