Saiyami Kher on Haiwaan, working with Priyadarshan

Saiyami Kher at ITC Sonar in Calcutta on SundayAt the business centre at ITC Sonar in Kolkata on Sunday, Saiyami Kher arrives in a striking red tracksuit, bringing an almost athletic energy to a conversation that moves from cinema and sport to failure, ambition.

Kher is part of Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan, a thriller that brings Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar together after several years. For her, the film was as much about the character as it was about stepping into a formidable ensemble.

What Happened

Working with Priyadarshan, however, came with its own learning curve. His filmmaking is precise, economical and, by Kher’s account, remarkably fast.

• Gulzar wrote her film debut, Mirzya, and their relationship has grown far beyond that 2016 romantic-drama that blended fantasy and folklore.

• Based on anxiety and depression, it prompted viewers to reach out and tell her how deeply it had affected them.

• The film eventually became one of the projects for which she received the strongest personal responses.

Key Details

Beyond that, she is keeping the details close to her chest — this is a thriller, after all, though an official remake of the Malayalam winner Oppam. If Saif brought familiarity, Akshay brought energy — lots of it.

• There was no producer, no money and no guarantee that anyone would watch it.

• Metro, a film she chose despite having none of the conventional markers of security.

• Balki, Zoya Akhtar, Vasan Bala, Neeraj Ghaywan and Mani Ratnam make up her long directorial wish list.

Why It Matters

Akshay’s long-standing equation with Priyadarshan, coupled with his friendship with Saif, meant the two actors spent plenty of time chatting, joking and reliving old stories. For Kher, whose childhood was steeped more in sport than cinema, the energy seems fitting.

• Fahadh Faasil is an actor she would like to work with, while Anurag Kashyap, R.

• The appreciation for Ghoomer could easily have nudged her towards another sports film.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by t2ONLINE as more details emerge