Priyadarshan’s Hindi remake of the Malayalam thriller Oppam, titled Haiwaan, opened in theatres on Friday, September 11. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles and marks the final film appearance of veteran actor Asrani, who died in 2025. Despite the reunion of two popular Bollywood actors and the presence of an established director, the film recorded a slow start at the box office on its opening day.
According to trade website Sacnilk, Haiwaan collected ₹3 crore net in India on day 1. The film recorded an overall occupancy of 11% across 7224 shows. Its morning shows registered around 5% occupancy, while the afternoon and evening shows saw occupancy of over 12%. The night shows performed slightly better, crossing 18% occupancy. The opening figures indicate that the film will need stronger audience turnout over the weekend to build momentum at the box office.
The film is also facing competition from Mirzapur: The Movie, which arrived in theatres last week and continues to draw audiences. With the weekend ahead, the performance of Haiwaan will depend on audience response, word of mouth and its ability to attract viewers despite the competition.
Before the release, Priyadarshan spoke to ANI about adapting his own 2016 Malayalam film Oppam for Hindi audiences. When asked about the changes made in the remake, he said, “No, I don’t want to talk about the changes. Let people see it and understand.” The director also explained his decision to cast Akshay Kumar in a negative role after previously working with him in comedy films. “That’s the difference, because every film should not look the same. So I thought I could use Akshay Kumar in a different way. So this is one opportunity I got, and I decided, okay, let me work with him in a different role.”
Co-written and directed by Priyadarshan, Haiwaan is produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films. The film also stars Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher. Mohanlal, who led the original Oppam, makes a cameo appearance in the Hindi adaptation. The music is composed by Pritam, while Ronnie Raphael has handled the background score.
Haiwaan also marks the reunion of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan after several years. The actors previously worked together in films including Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Yeh Dillagi (1994), Tu Chor Main Sipahi (1996), Keemat: They Are Back (1998), Aarzoo (1999) and Tashan (2008).
