India, Sept. 2 -- Priyadarshan has cultivated an image as a master of comedy, much to the filmmaker's chagrin. The man, who began in Hindi cinema with Gardish and Virasat, says he prefers making 'serious' films to comedies. On that note, he is making a Hindi thriller for the first time in years. His next, Haiwaan, sees him collaborate with Saif Ali Khan for the first time, while his frequent star Akshay Kumar plays a deranged killer this time. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the filmmaker talks about how he cast these two actors.

Haiwaan is inspired by Priyadarshan's own 2016 Malayalam film Oppam, which starred Mohanlal. The Hindi remake features Saif as the film's protagonist, a blind lift operator. On choosing him as the film's lead, P...