Akshay Kumar’s Haiwaan, directed by Priyadarshan, has turned out to be one of the biggest disasters in Indian cinema. The crime thriller, also starring Saif Ali Khan, opened to a lukewarm response, earning just over Rs. 2.5 crore nett on day one, followed by a Rs. 6.7 crore nett first weekend collection.
After the weekend, the movie collapsed completely, bringing its lifetime collections to a shocking Rs. 9 crore nett. For a film featuring a top star, these numbers are utterly disappointing. Haiwaan received flak from audiences even before its release as it was the official remake of the Malayalam film Oppam, which came out ten years ago.
Also, the word-of-mouth turned out to be weak, limiting its box office appeal. Disappointed by the failure, Priyadarshan decided not to make non-comedy films with Akshay going forward. The result of Haiwaan has surely sent shockwaves across the industry.