After Haiwaan flop, Priyadarshan plans serious films only in the South

Veteran director Priyadarshan has spoken about the box office failure of Haiwaan, his crime thriller starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. The film opened in theatres on September 11 and never found its feet. The filmmaker admits the result was a letdown, but he says it has not broken his spirit. After 48 years and 98 films, he has lived through plenty of hits and flops, and he sees both as part of the job.

The numbers are hard to ignore. Haiwaan collected Rs 9.92 crore nett in India. It was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 130 crore, and reports say its worldwide gross stopped at Rs 15.08 crore. The film is a Hindi remake of Oppam, the director's own 2016 Malayalam hit with Mohanlal, about a blind man who tries to shield a young girl from a killer.

Priyadarshan feels the flop has confirmed what he already believed: Hindi audiences see him mainly as a comedy director, a label that stuck after Hera Pheri in 2000. He points to his serious work, including Kaalapani (1996), Kanchivaram (2008) and Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (2021), along with political films in the South that became big hits. Even his Hindi career began with serious hits like Gardish (1993) and Virasat (1997), not with laughs.

That expectation now shapes his plans. If Hindi viewers want comedy, he asks, why should he take risks there? He says he will "play for the gallery" in Hindi cinema and save his more meaningful projects for the South.

Besides the lead pair, Haiwaan features Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher, with music by Pritam. Mohanlal reportedly appears in a cameo, and reports say the film brought Saif and Akshay together on screen for the first time in 18 years, since Tashan (2008). The setback reportedly came just months after Priyadarshan delivered a blockbuster with Bhooth Bangla.