Akshay’s first poster presents him in a dramatically different avatar. Sporting a thick beard and a cap pulled low over his head, he stares straight into the camera, his face almost entirely swallowed by darkness. There is barely a trace of light illuminating him. The caption of his poster reads: “Vengeance sees everything.”

Haiwaan character poster

In contrast, Saif’s first-look poster is bathed in light. The actor, who reportedly plays a blind martial artist in the film, is also photographed in a frontal close-up, but soft light frames both sides of his face. The caption of his poster reads: “Every sense is a weapon.”

Haiwaan character poster

The visual contrast is hard to miss: while Akshay’s face disappears into darkness, Saif’s is illuminated despite his character’s blindness. The symbolism extends further. Although Saif’s eyes are clearly visible, they belong to a character who cannot see. Akshay, on the other hand, plays a sighted man, yet his eyes are concealed beneath the bold Haiwaan title emblazoned across the poster.

The alternate character posters deepen that contrast. Akshay appears drenched in crimson hues, flashing a sinister smile behind tinted glasses as the silhouette of a man engulfed in flames burns in the background, lending his character an almost devilish presence. Saif’s second poster trades the darkness for earthy yellow and brown tones, portraying him with a steely, determined gaze and a chiselled profile, as though he is relentlessly pursuing something, or someone.

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The final poster brings both characters into the same frame for the first time. Divided between shades of red and yellow, it places Akshay and Saif opposite each other, with the silhouette of a young girl clutching a teddy bear positioned between them, suggesting that the child could be at the centre of their confrontation.

 

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About Haiwaan

Directed by Priyadarshan, Haiwaan is the official Hindi remake of his acclaimed 2016 Malayalam thriller Oppam. The screenplay has been co-written by Rohan Shankar and Abhilash Nair, with music composed by Pritam. Interestingly, the posters also credit Abhilash Nair as co-director alongside Priyadarshan.

Haiwaan marks the long-awaited reunion of Akshay and Saif, who last shared screen space in Vijay Krishna Acharya’s Tashan (2008). Before that, the duo appeared together in films like Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Yeh Dillagi (1994), Keemat (1998) and Aarzoo (1999). The film also continues Akshay’s renewed creative partnership with Priyadarshan, arriving as their second consecutive collaboration after the horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, which released earlier this year.