Last week, Priyadarshan unveiled the first look of Haiwaan, showcasing Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in gritty avatars. After four back-to-back comedies, Kumar portrays a menacing antagonist in the movie. But what if we told you that the superstar wasn’t originally meant to be a part of Haiwaan? Priyadarshan revealed to mid-day that his original choice for the villain was Bobby Deol.

The filmmaker recalled, “When I narrated the film to Saif first, he asked me who would play the antagonist. I approached Bobby Deol, who wasn’t happy about his role, but I cannot blame him for that. I thought of Akshaye Khanna and told him that I wanted to narrate a story to him. He invited me over to meet him. I thought that if he refused, I would go to Suniel Shetty. [Before I met Akshaye], I mentioned the film to Akshay casually while shooting for Bhooth Bangla. After I narrated the story to him, he told me, ‘Why can’t I do the movie?’”

Priyadarshan hadn’t initially considered Kumar as he felt the role would go completely against the superstar’s current image of a humorous, happy-go-lucky guy. But the actor was certain that he wanted to bet on the role. The filmmaker added, “Akshay loved the character. While we were shooting, Saif told me, ‘By doing this role against me, Akshay has given me the best gift’.”

Comedy may be the filmmaker’s forte, but with Haiwaan, he is glad to shift gears. He said, “Some people have assumed Haiwaan is a comedy; it’s not. It’s about a cat-and-mouse game between the hunter and the hunted. I am returning to an action thriller after 16 years, and it’s one of the slickest movies I have ever made.”