HaiwaanPriyadarshan remakes Oppam — and loses everything that made the original work.

Priyadarshan remakes his own Malayalam hit Oppam and loses everything that made the original work. The premise still has potential, but the writing, characterisation, casting and tone fail to create the tension or emotional investment needed for this kind of thriller.

The biggest problem is that the world created by Priyadarshan simply doesn't feel believable. You keep wondering why a visually impaired man is working as a building manager when the job requires him to be involved in almost everything happening in the society.

Saif Ali Khan has played a wide range of characters and has certainly proved that he can disappear into very different roles. But I just don't buy him as this particular building manager. Akshay Kumar works, but it's not a lengthy role that his fans would want.

What worked in Oppam in 2016 doesn't translate effectively into Haiwaan in 2026. Haiwaan gets 1.5 stars out of 5.