Akshay Kumar was not Priyadarshan’s first choice for Haiwaan. Bobby and Akshay were
Priyadarshan said that Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna were considered before joining Akshay Kumar as the villain in Haiwaan. The casting turn highlights the film’s shift into a cat-and-mouse action thriller.
Filmmaker Priyadarshan has revealed that Akshay Kumar was not his original choice to play the villain in Haiwaan. According to the director, Bobby Deol and later Akshaye Khanna were considered for the role before Kumar came on board.
talking to mid-dayPriyadarshan said that he first narrated the script to Saif Ali Khan, who asked him who would be chosen as the villain.
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The filmmaker said, “I approached Bobby Deol, who was not happy with his role, but I can’t blame him for that.”
After Bobby’s refusal, Priyadarshan planned to narrate the script to Akshaye Khanna. He said, “I told Akshay that I wanted to narrate a story to him and he invited me. I also thought that if he refused, I would approach Sunil Shetty.”
However, things took a different turn when he was shooting ghost bangla With Akshay Kumar. According to Priyadarshan, he casually mentioned the film to Kumar, who immediately expressed interest in playing the villain. The filmmaker recalled, “Akshay told me, ‘Why can’t I do the film?’
The director admitted that he had not initially considered Kumar for the role as it was contrary to the actor’s recent on-screen image. He said, “I felt this role was completely contrary to his existing image of a witty, happy-go-lucky guy. But Akshay loved the character.”
Priyadarshan also shared that Saif Ali Khan appreciated Kumar’s decision to take up the role. “When we were shooting, Saif told me, ‘Akshay has given me the best gift by doing this role against me,'” he said.
The filmmaker further clarified that despite the perceptions surrounding the project, Haiwaan is not a comedy. Describing it as an action thriller, he said that the film revolves around the “cat and mouse game between the hunter and the hunted”. He said that the film marks his return to the action-thriller genre after 16 years.
Last week, the makers released the first look of beastIn which Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan are in intense avatar. After the film, both the actors reunite on screen. Tashan (2008).