Shooting big-scale action sequences on Mumbai streets has become rare, but Akshay Kumar’s upcoming film Haiwaan is reviving the trend in spectacular style. Akshay and co-star Saif Ali Khan filmed an intense cat-and-mouse chase for nearly five nights around Churchgate railway station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in South Mumbai.
According to a report by Mid-Day, the grand action sequence involved 30-40 cars and 100 junior artistes, expertly choreographed by action director Stunt Silva. The shoot transformed the area into an adrenaline-pumping action zone, captivating the city’s heart.
Director Priyadarshan praised the duo’s professionalism: “Both Saif and Akshay knew exactly how the sequence had to be shot and cooperated fully, even though Akshay is known to sleep early, he shot for five consecutive nights!”Akshay has since wrapped up his parts for Haiwaan and has moved on to Dubai for the shoot of Welcome To The Jungle. Priyadarshan also revealed that besides South Mumbai, filming took place in the Bandra Kurla Complex, and he still has nine days of work remaining with Saif Ali Khan.
Yesterday, Shriya Pilgaonkar shared a photo with Priyadarshan on Instagram, announcing that she too has completed her shoot for Haiwaan. She described the experience as “an absolute privilege to work with this stellar team led by Priyadarshan sir.”The last time Akshay Kumar shot such large-scale street sequences in Mumbai was for Holiday – A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014). On its tenth anniversary, producer Vipul Shah shared with Bollywood Hungama the meticulous planning behind the shoot: “Mr. A R Murugadoss planned it down to the last detail. We used about sixteen hidden cameras, marked the entire path, and knew we could only shoot one take at a time.
The moment people spotted Akshay at a Bandra signal, chaos would erupt with thousands gathering to catch a glimpse. Since Akshay’s character was supposed to blend into the crowd, we had to film quickly. After each take, Akshay would sit in his car and speed away to avoid the crowd. We used the Gaiety-Galaxy parking lot as a waiting spot for his next shot. Akshay knew his marks perfectly, and we ensured each shot was completed in one take. Retakes were possible only after 2-3 hours, so thankfully, we nailed it the first time.”
