'Haiwaan' movie Twitter review: 'Filling Mohanlal's shoes is never easy,' say netizens on Akshay-Saif film

Haiwaan reviews: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan-starrer crime thriller Haiwaan hit theatres today amid lukewarm response from the audience. Soon after the film's first day first shows were over, netizens couldn't wait to share their takes.

Haiwaan Twitter reactions

The film opened to largely mixed reviews at the box office, with some netizens calling it out for being a scene-to-scene remake of Oppam, the 2016 Malayalam thriller featuring Mohanlal in the leading role.

A user said, "Why does #Haiwaan feel almost scene-to-scene copy of #Oppam despite having the same director? And why has no South remake truly cracked the Hindi box office since #kabirsingh? There’s hope for #Akshaykumar, but #Saif has the toughest job—filling #Mohanlal ’s shoes is never easy."

A second user wrote,"1st half done... Sorry to Say, #Haiwaan is frame to frame copy of #Oppam...not even subplots are changed...In one scene where an address needs to be conveyed, they even retain the same handpump reference from #Oppam. #AkshayKumar deserves better...Haiwaan has been lazy work since begining...zero creativity, no effort to remove Hindi Version of Oppam from Youtube, no marketing ..lazy PR team..."

A third user said, "Honestly, #Haiwaan feels way too similar to #Oppam. A lot of the scenes and story beats seem to follow the original almost exactly, with barely any effort to make them feel fresh. Akshay’s character had so much potential, but so far it feels underwritten. The editing is also quite uneven, and the songs don’t really add much. Hope the second half picks up and delivers."

Even though some netizens were disappointed with the film being a scene-to-scene remake of the 2016 Malayalam film, others were pleasantly surprised by Akshay Kumar's performance as the antagonist.

Another user commented, "Priyadarshan is BACK! A solid theatrical thriller that balances story & commercial masala perfectly. Akshay Kumar as Parshuram is MENACING - raw, intense & unpredictable. MUST WATCH on big screen!"

Yet another user weighed in, "#AkshayKumar is easily at his best when he steps away from the conventional hero image. After negative shades in films like Ajnabee and 2.0, #Haiwaan gives him a much more disturbing space — and he owns it. This is the Akshay I wanted to see more of."

Haiwaan story, cast

Directed by Priyadarshan, the film focuses on a blind caretaker who is framed for the murder of a retired judge and a vengeful killer on the hunt for the retired judge's hidden daughter.

Besides Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, the film stars Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi, and Jisshu Sengupta in significant roles.