Haiwaan – External Reviews

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Movie Talkies

…As a whole, Haiwaan is a reasonably engaging thriller that should work better for Akshay Kumar fans and audiences looking for a straightforward suspense drama. I still wouldn’t necessarily recommend going back to Oppam before watching this, because Haiwaan is accessible enough on its own. It takes its time, has its share of predictable moments, but delivers enough thrills to make the overall experience good….

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So-So
by Subhash K Jha,

Bolly Spice

…That said, Haiwaan has much to recommend itself: Divakar Mani’s semi-sepia lensing lends a luscious luminosity to the proceedings. The songs, though an intrusion (Wait Until Dark rendered into Wait Until The Song Ends), are pleasantly filmed….

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So-So
by Devesh Sharma,

Filmfare

…Haiwaan may not reinvent Oppam, but it remains an engaging thriller because its central character and cast keep it interesting. Priyadarshan understands that the best way to remake his own film is not to merely reproduce it. The Hindi version works when it allows its actors to bring their own personalities to familiar material….

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So-So
by Aakash Kumar,

Filmi Beat

…Haiwaan has a promising thriller setup and two capable actors at its centre. The combination of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan is definitely one of the film’s biggest attractions, while Priyadarshan brings his experience to the story….

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So-So
by Murtuza Iqbal,

Free Press Journal

…What does wonders for Haiwaan is a mind-blowing background score by Ronnie Raphael! It surely takes the movie a notch higher. Meanwhile, when it comes to songs composed by Pritam, apart from Rangiyara, none of them leaves a mark….

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So-So
by Rishabh Suri,

Hindustan Times

…Overall, Haiwaan is a thriller that promises more than it delivers. The premise is strong, and the climax finally brings the tension that the film has been searching for. But getting there is a long journey. The writing is inconsistent, and too many plot points require the audience to overlook basic questions of logic. The songs further disrupt the film’s rhythm rather than enhancing it. There are flashes of a gripping thriller buried within Haiwaan, particularly in its final hour, but they are not enough. What could have been a taut thriller instead becomes an uneven watch….

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So-So
by Shweta Keshri,

india today

…Haiwaan is not a bad film. It has a good cast, a workable story, with splashes of comedy and a director who knows this material. It is simply a film that needed someone to make it tighter and cut it down to the thriller it could have been, rather than the occasionally enjoyable, ultimately unsatisfying version that has made it to screen….

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So-So
by Jaya Dwivedie,

India TV

…Haiwaan is not a film where everything goes wrong. Its biggest strengths are Saif Ali Khan’s performance, Akshay Kumar’s attempt at a different role, Priyadarshan’s command over the story, the cinematography and the stronger thriller portions in the second half. The film’s weaknesses include its slow beginning, excessive runtime, editing that could have been tighter, a villain who is not consistently frightening and songs that occasionally slow down the narrative….

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So-So
by Saibal Chatterjee,

NDTV

…Textually similar, texturally different and tonally entirely its own beast, Haiwaan, starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, struggles to shrug off the shadow of Mohanlal and Oppam (2016)….

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So-So
by Isha Sharma,

NewsBytes

…Priyadarshan always assembles formidable casts, and this film is no different.
Khan, Kumar, Yadav, Hashmi, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Rajesh Sharma leave you with no complaints, but the story itself has no surprises.
You can watch it once it hits OTT, but if you expect any twists, you’ll be disappointed.
Haiwaan moves in circles for nearly three hours and ultimately ends up nowhere….

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So-So
by Netra Brid,

Pinkvilla

…Haiwaan has a promising hook and two recognisable stars at its center, but neither is enough to overcome a screenplay weighed down by lengthy explanations, unrealistic plot, and uneven pacing. The idea of a blind man using his other senses to outwit a criminal should have provided an inventive and tense thriller. Instead, the film repeatedly shows old tricks and asks the audience to overlook increasingly obvious gaps. Priyadarshan’s familiar visual setting flourishes, while occasional comic touches cannot compensate for the lack of sustained suspense. For viewers drawn to the Saif-Akshay reunion, Haiwaan holds some curiosity value, but as a thriller, it sees the destination long before it figures out how to get there….

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So-So
by Renuka Vyavahare,

Times of India

…Barring a few effective hide-and-seek action sequences between the two leads, Haiwaan struggles to grip. It picks up somewhat after the interval, but with a runtime of 2 hours and 44 minutes, the film ultimately stretches a thin premise far beyond its limits leaving little impact by the time it ends. The Conjuring-style finale takes the tension out of the climax, veering into unintentional humour….

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Thumbs down
by Subhashini Ramasamy,

Deccan Herald

…he movie, which is a remake of Priyadarshan’s ‘Oppam’, is one that cannot be saved even with Mohanlal’s (who played the protagonist in the original) cameo at its closing….

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Thumbs down
by Manmath Sahu,

fullhyd.com

…It’s disappointing that a movie based on a strong premise goes wrong. Go watch Oppam in Hindi in HD for free, if at all you will….

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Thumbs down
by Nitin Jain,

Glamsham.com

…And despite the Akshay-Saif reunion being the film’s biggest selling point, Haiwaan ultimately belongs more to Saif. He gets the stronger character and considerably more to play. Akshay, ironically, is the man the film calls Haiwaan, but it is Saif who gives the film most of its life….

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Thumbs down
by Shubhra Gupta,

indian express

…When Priyadarshan is on top of his game, all his madly-disparate moving parts somehow come together and give us a rumbustious climax. Sadly, Haiwaan is more miss than hit, more uff uff than ole ole….

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Thumbs down
by Rajiv Vijayakar,

koimoi

…The background score (Ronnie Raphael) works despite its predictability, but the song sequences do not. This is because they come up out of the blue at needless points, and Pritam does not get great situations. Ironically, the otherwise irrelevant Rangiyara works better….

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Thumbs down
by Uday Bhatia,

Live Mint

…Commercial cinema in this country needs a runtime intervention. We’re resigned to terrible films and terribly long films, but there should be some protection against long terrible films….

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by Mayank Shekhar,

MiD DAY

…That said, what remains the same is the quality of performance. In this case, Saif playing the equivalent of Mohanlal — drawing you in with his spot-on mannerisms of a blind man, for an action-thriller, rather than caring too much about getting into nuances of a Maharashtrian bloke in the same role….

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by “Aishani Biswas “,

Outlook India

…But a thriller cannot survive on performances alone. Haiwaan takes the moral machinery of Panch Parmeshwar, the blind-versus-psychopath premise of Oppam and the commercial instincts of mainstream Hindi cinema, then throws them together without finding a stable rhythm. The story becomes a very convenient crime drama instead of a tense study of justice, guilt and consequence….

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by Sukanya Verma,

Rediff

…Be a man. Not Haiwaan….

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by Nandini Ramnath,

Scroll.in

…Haiwaan contains the stock elements found in Priyadarshan’s movies, such as ponderous camera angles, scenes in which characters stand around like in a play, and slippages into unrequired comedy. At least the moment when Parshuram tries to wreak havoc while dressed in a nun’s habit produces the laughs….

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Thumbs down
by Nanditha Anand,

The Week

…I also spent an embarrassing amount of time wondering where the Antony Perumbavoor cameo equivalent was, before remembering that this isn’t an Ashirvad Cinema production. Apparently, even my expectations were working on autopilot….

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