The advance booking for Haiwaan has opened to a muted response, and early trends suggest the Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan starrer is heading toward an unwelcome milestone at the Hindi box office. According to presales data emerging a day before its September 11 release, the crime thriller is struggling to fill seats - a troubling sign for a film carrying the weight of two of Bollywood's most bankable names.

Directed by Priyadarshan, Haiwaan arrives in theatres on Friday with a runtime of 164 minutes and a story that trades on tension rather than spectacle. Kumar plays Parshuram, while Saif Ali Khan steps into the role of Shyam. The supporting ensemble includes Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher as Inspector Varsha Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi as Sanjay Shinde, and Rajesh Sharma. The film is classified as a crime thriller and was made for the Hindi-language market.

Presales Point to a Rough Opening

The early numbers paint a grim picture. With Day 1 advance booking underway, Haiwaan is not generating the kind of momentum that usually accompanies a wide release headlined by Kumar. Trade watchers had expected a healthy start given the star cast and the film's mass-appeal genre, but the current trajectory points instead toward a disappointing record - one that could place it among the weaker openings for a major Bollywood title this year.

It is worth noting that presales are only one indicator. Walk-in audiences, particularly in the mass-market circuits, can shift the final opening-day figure considerably. Yet the lack of early urgency is difficult to ignore, especially for a film that has been positioned as a commercial thriller rather than an experimental or niche project.

What the Film Is About

Haiwaan centres on a retired judge who finds himself unable to protect his daughter from a convict he once put behind bars. The situation turns darker when the judge is murdered. What follows is a battle of survival led by a visually impaired man who had been loyal to the judge, and who now tries to shield the daughter from further harm.

That premise places the film firmly in familiar Priyadarshan territory - though the director is better known for comedy, he has periodically shifted gears into suspense and drama. The pairing of Kumar and Saif Ali Khan is the film's principal draw, bringing together two actors whose on-screen chemistry has been a selling point in the past. Boman Irani's presence adds further heft to the cast, while Saiyami Kher's turn as a police inspector introduces a procedural thread.

The Comparison Trap

The timing of Haiwaan matters. It opens in a marketplace where audiences have grown selective, and where star power alone no longer guarantees a strong first day. The film's inability to build advance buzz sits against a backdrop of several high-profile Hindi releases that have also seen slow starts in presales, only to recover - or not - depending on word of mouth.

For Kumar, a soft opening would add to a mixed recent run at the box office. For Saif Ali Khan, it is another test of his draw in a genre that has served him well before. And for Priyadarshan, it is a chance to prove that his storytelling instinct extends convincingly into the thriller space.

The TMDb rating for the film currently stands at zero, though that is simply a reflection of the absence of audience votes before release rather than any indication of quality. Ratings of that kind typically settle once viewers have seen the film.

The Road Ahead

The true test comes on Friday, when Haiwaan reaches theatres across the Hindi belt. If the film can convert curious viewers into paying audiences over the weekend, the early presales story may fade from memory. If it cannot, the record it sets will be one the makers would rather forget.

For now, the industry is watching closely. A 164-minute crime thriller with this cast and this director should be doing better in advance sales than it currently is. Whether that gap between expectation and reality narrows by the weekend remains the key question. The answer will arrive along with the first shows on September 11.

Source: Filmibeat