Boman Irani on reuniting with Priyadarshan for ‘Haiwaan’ after 12 years and why he believes Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan will be accepted: ‘He had his own group of people whom he was comfortable with’ Boman Irani and Priyadarshan are joining forces once again, more than a decade after their last collaboration. The actor-director duo, who previously worked together in ‘Tezz’, are now coming together for ‘Haiwaan’, a dark thriller that moves away from the comedy territory audiences often associate with both of them. Starring Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher and Boman Irani, the film has already generated curiosity with its trailer. For Boman, however, one thing remains constant regardless of the genre he or Priyadarshan explores: their strong association with comedy.
Comedy continues to follow Boman Irani
Priyadarshan has experimented with action, romance, drama and thrillers throughout his career, but his comic entertainers remain among his most recognised works. Boman, too, has become closely associated with memorable comic performances.“The comedy stamp always chases me,” Boman said during an interview with SCREEN.The actor was speaking about the perception that continues to surround both him and Priyadarshan despite their work across different genres. ‘Haiwaan’, however, gives them an opportunity to explore a much darker space.
Why did the reunion take 12 years?
Boman and Priyadarshan last worked together in the 2012 action thriller ‘Tezz’, which featured Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut. Despite the two being regarded as a strong creative combination, their next collaboration took more than a decade to materialise. Boman believes the delay may have been because Priyadarshan had developed a trusted group of actors and collaborators over the years.“I think he had his own group of people whom he was comfortable with. It’s like asking Raju Hirani, ‘Why didn’t you work with so-and-so actor?’ It becomes a family kind of situation, and I think that’s great. But somehow, I was made to believe that I was the first choice for this role,” Boman said.The actor’s comments suggest that the wait was less about creative differences and more about the natural working relationships filmmakers build with familiar teams.
Boman Irani backs Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan’s reunion
‘Haiwaan’ also marks the return of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan as a pair after more than 30 years. Their previous film together was ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’, released in 1994. Akshay takes on a darker character in the upcoming thriller, raising questions about whether audiences will readily accept him in a different kind of role. Boman, however, believes viewers ultimately respond to the quality of the film rather than simply the character or an actor’s established image.“You watch 3 Idiots. Imagine 3 Idiots was not a good movie. Think about it. What would the acceptance of a character like Virus be? They would say, ‘Irritating.’ But when the movie is good, everything gets accepted. You say, ‘Oh well, that was very interesting. It was pretty good advice.’ Think of Munna Bhai MBBS. Sanjay Dutt was 44 years old, hardly a college-going student. Why did they accept it? The movie was good. The story was good,” said the 66-year-old actor.Boman believes the same principle will determine how audiences react to Akshay and Saif sharing the screen again in ‘Haiwaan’. According to him, a compelling story can make audiences overlook questions that might otherwise become a talking point.“But if the movie was bad, then people would have questioned, ‘How could they have cast Sanju?’ But the movie was great. So, there was no question of age. Having said that, they (Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan) will be accepted because they are good in the film. But the movie has to be good, and the movie is good,” he concluded.
‘Haiwaan’ release details
‘Haiwaan’ is directed by Priyadarshan and is the official Hindi remake of the Malayalam film ‘Oppam’, which was also helmed by the filmmaker. The thriller brings together Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Boman Irani in key roles. It is scheduled to release in cinemas on September 11, 2026. Its OTT platform and streaming release date have not yet been announced.