Hindi cinema has returned time and again to visually impaired characters, but only a handful of performances have truly stayed with audiences. Now, Haiwaan brings that conversation back into focus, with Saif Ali Khan taking on a visually impaired role in Priyadarshan’s thriller ahead of its September 11, 2026 theatrical release.
Haiwaan Puts Saif Ali Khan In A Demanding New Space
What makes Saif’s turn in Haiwaan especially interesting is the genre around it. This is not a quiet character drama but a thriller built on tension, instinct and survival. The film’s premise still holds back several key details, yet the blindness of Saif’s character appears central to how he reads danger and moves through the story.
Haiwaan is directed by Priyadarshan and stars Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in the lead, with Boman Irani, Saiyami Kher, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Sharib Hashmi in pivotal roles. The film is produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films by Venkat K. Narayana and Shailaja Desai Fenn, and is slated for a worldwide cinema release on September 11, 2026.
Black Still Sets The Gold Standard
When conversations turn to unforgettable portrayals of blindness in Indian cinema, Black remains impossible to ignore. Rani Mukerji’s Michelle McNally was not just visually impaired but also deaf, and that made the performance even more physically and emotionally exacting. She built the character through touch, rhythm, silence and bursts of raw emotion, delivering one of the most acclaimed performances of her career.
Kaabil And Fanaa Gave Blind Characters Emotional Weight
Hrithik Roshan brought striking conviction to Kaabil as Rohan Bhatnagar, a visually impaired man whose life is shattered by tragedy. What gave the performance its edge was the way he played independence and everyday confidence before steering the character into a revenge arc powered by grief and resolve.
Kajol, meanwhile, made Zooni in Fanaa memorable by refusing to let the character be defined only by blindness. Her performance carried curiosity, tenderness and emotional depth, which gave the film some of its most affecting moments opposite Aamir Khan.
Vikram also deserves a place in this conversation for Thaandavam, where he played a man navigating danger after losing his vision. In a film driven by action and suspense, his performance leaned into heightened sensory awareness without losing the character’s vulnerability.
Saif Ali Khan’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Saif was last seen on screen in Devara: Part 1 in 2024, where he played Bhaira, and in the 2025 Netflix film Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins. Over the past few years, he has moved between mainstream spectacle and genre-led parts, often choosing characters with a darker or more unpredictable edge.
That makes Haiwaan an especially intriguing addition to his current phase. With Priyadarshan mounting the film as a theatrical thriller and the release locked for September 11, 2026, Saif’s role already stands out as one of his most unusual big-screen challenges in recent years.
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