Priyadarshan felt Akshay Kumar would never say yes to playing villain in Haiwaan: 'Many top actors said no' | Interview

Haiwaan, Priyadarshan's return to the thriller genre, stars Saif Ali Khan as a blind man and Akshay Kumar as a deranged killer.

Priyadarshan has cultivated an image as a master of comedy, much to the filmmaker’s chagrin. The man, who began in Hindi cinema with Gardish and Virasat, says he prefers making ‘serious’ films to comedies. On that note, he is making a Hindi thriller for the first time in years. His next, Haiwaan, sees him collaborate with Saif Ali Khan for the first time, while his frequent star Akshay Kumar plays a deranged killer this time. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the filmmaker talks about how he cast these two actors.

Akshay Kumar plays the antagonist in Priyadarshan's Haiwaan.

Priyadarshan on casting Saif Ali Khan

Haiwaan is inspired by Priyadarshan’s own 2016 Malayalam film Oppam, which starred Mohanlal. The Hindi remake features Saif as the film’s protagonist, a blind lift operator. On choosing him as the film’s lead, Priyadarshan explains, “Saif is someone with whom I have wanted to make this film for a while. His age and look fit the character quite well. When I narrated the film to him, he said, ‘I have never done something like this before’.”

But the film's Haiwaan is Akshay Kumar, who is re-entering his villain era after years. The actor, who has frequently collaborated with Priyadarshan (in nine films), was not the first choice for the role of the antagonist, the filmmaker reveals. “I was looking at someone else,” he says. “I approached many actors, and they refused.”

‘Never thought Akshay would accept’

Akshay’s entry in the film happened after a chance conversation on the set of their previous film, Bhooth Bangla. “I casually mentioned it to Akshay on the set of Bhooth Bangla, and he said, ‘Why can’t I do this?’ And it happened,” recalls Priyadarshan. On being asked why he never approached Akshay earlier despite having a rapport with him, the filmmaker says, “I never thought he would accept this. Because by then, many actors of big stature had refused it. I wouldn’t say they were of the same stature as Akshay, but they said no.”

Priyadarshan says his casting process is simple. He requires a level of submission from his actors. “When an actor surrenders to a script and a director, it works most of the time. But if he is trying to become the director and writer, things won’t work,” says the filmmaker.

All about Haiwaan

Directed by Priyadarshan, Haiwaan also stars Boman Irani, Saiyami Kher, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi, Rajesh Sharma, Manoj Joshi, and Jisshu Sengupta, while Mohanlal makes a cameo appearance. It also marks the late Asrani's final screen appearance. Produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films, the film will release in theatres on 11 September.