Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar began filming Haiwaan, directed by Priyadarshan, in August this year. The film is the official Hindi remake of the Malayalam movie Oppam. Now, Priyadarshan has revealed that Mohanlal will be making a cameo appearance in Haiwaan. The original Malayalam film had Mohanlal in the lead.
Mohanlal on sets of Haiwaan
On Saturday, Priyadarshan took to Instagram to share a picture from the sets of Haiwaan. The filmmaker is seen posing with Saif Ali Khan, Mohanlal, and a child artist from the film. Both Mohanlal and Saif are seen wearing dark glasses and holding a stick as they play visually impaired characters in the film. In the original, Mohanlal essayed the visually impaired protagonist, a role Saif takes on in the remake.
Sharing the picture, Priyadarshan wrote, “Look at life and the way it turns… Here I am, on the shooting sets of HAIWAAN, working with the son of one of my biggest cricket heroes and my favourite film icon. Truly, God is kind.”
Haiwaan shoot updates
Meanwhile, in the last week of October, Priyadarshan shot an ambitious action sequence with Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan near Churchgate railway station in Mumbai. The cat-and-mouse chase, involving 30–40 cars and 100 junior artistes, was choreographed by action director Stunt Silva and filmed over five nights. “Both Saif and Akshay knew how the sequence had to be shot and cooperated well, though Akshay is known to sleep early,” Priyadarshan told mid-day.
The film, which went on floors in August, is now in its final schedule in Mumbai. While Kumar wrapped up his scenes before leaving for his Welcome to the Jungle schedule in Dubai, the director continues filming action-driven portions with Khan across the city. Priyadarshan explained, “I have another nine days of work left with Saif. We’ve been shooting across several outdoor locations, including Churchgate and Bandra-Kurla Complex. It’s tough to shoot on Mumbai roads as the city is densely populated. Thankfully, the remaining days will be easier since we’ll mostly be shooting on sets.”
For Priyadarshan, 2025 has turned out to be a rewarding year, having completed Bhooth Bangla and Haiwaan. “I’ve completed two films in nine months. That’s pretty hectic for someone at the age of 69. But I can still do two more films,” he laughs. And maybe win a fourth National Award? “I hope so,” he smiles.