Saiyami Kher has officially joined the cast of Priyadarshan’s upcoming film Haiwaan. The film, which features Bollywood powerhouses Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, has commenced its shoot in Kochi.

Haiwaan marks a special collaboration, not only because it brings Saiyami together with the trio of Akshay, Saif, and Priyadarshan for the first time, but also because it reunites Akshay and Saif on screen after 17 years since their last outing in Tashan (2008).

Expressing her excitement about joining the project, Saiyami said, “Walking onto the set of Haiwaan has been overwhelming in the most beautiful way. I still remember being that little girl who sat wide-eyed in a theatre, watching Akshay sir redefine action as the or laughing endlessly at Saif sir’s effortless comic timing in films that became part of our growing-up years. Back then, I never imagined that one day I would actually be on a set with the very people whose films shaped my love for cinema."

She added, "There are moments now, when I look around and have to remind myself this is real. These are the same faces I once watched from the audience, and today I’m sharing the frame with them. And then there is Priyan sir. For me, he’s not just a director, he’s a storyteller who has given us some of the most iconic films.”

Haiwaan, produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films, is inspired by Priyadarshan’s 2016 Malayalam thriller Oppam, though with significant changes to both dialogues and screenplay, as told by the veteran filmmaker. The original film featured Mohanlal as a visually impaired man who becomes the unlikely protector of a judge’s daughter.