Saif Ali Khan says action scenes in Haiwaan were raw and physically exhausting

Actor Saif Ali Khan is returning to the big screen with Haiwaan, and this time, he is stepping into an action-heavy role that pushed him physically. The Priyadarshan directorial has kept much of its plot under wraps, but its trailer has offered glimpses of Saif as a visually impaired man who is also trained in martial arts. Ahead of the film’s release, the actor opened up about shooting one of its most physically demanding sequences.The scene sees Saif’s character being brutally beaten and tortured before he finally fights back. Explaining the sequence, the actor said, "It's a scene with a great build-up because the characters torture and bash up my character, kicking and slapping him. As an audience, you want him to retaliate which he eventually does."'Where's Sid? Incomplete Without Him': Aamir Khan & Saif Ali Khan Reunite For Dil Chahta Hai 25th Anniversary, Fans Miss Akshaye KhannaWhat made the sequence particularly demanding was that Saif performed the action without relying heavily on visual effects or body doubles. He credited stunt director Silva for choreographing the sequence and said the team wanted the fight to look as real as possible."That fight was really well choreographed by Silva and there's no special effects added to it, there were no duplicates. There's very little fakery in these scenes. The room has broken glass everywhere. It was very raw and kind of violent and it was utterly exhausting because after that I had to lie down for two days," Saif said.The 56-year-old actor admitted that the physical toll was greater than he had initially expected. "I thought I was alright but I was exhausted because that is how intense the action scene was. It's wasn't CGI or harness backed action scenes, the fight scene is just raw. It was really lots of fun to perform."Interestingly, the actor did not undergo extensive training specifically for the sequence. He had requested training ahead of the shoot, but that plan did not work out. Instead, he rehearsed some of the moves with Silva before filming."There wasn't much prep before the scene. I had asked for training but it didn't work out like that. However, we did rehearsed a couple of moves but the idea was to make it very raw. I remember, after the scene was shot, there was a lot of glass pieces on the floor from the broken photo frames and cupboards being smashed," Saif recalled.The demanding shoot did result in some minor injuries, although Saif said the team was largely able to avoid serious accidents."Luckily not too many injuries but there's always some cuts and bruises. However, the scene lands well in the film owing to the plot because you want him to bash those people who are being up after they've been so bad to him so it's really nicely done Silva is a master," Saif shared.'There Can Be No One Like You': Akshay Kumar Shares Asrani's Last-Ever Shot From Haiwaan And It Will Get Smile On Your Face - WatchHaiwaan marks Saif’s first collaboration with Priyadarshan. The film also brings him back together with Akshay Kumar after 18 years. Boman Irani, Sayami Kher and Shriya Pilgaonkar also feature in key roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on September 11.

Saif Ali Khan opens up about performing raw, duplicate-free action scenes as a visually impaired character in 'Haiwaan', calling it "utterly exhausting." Reuniting with Akshay Kumar after 18 years and working with director Priyadarshan for the first time, Saif praised stunt master Silva. The film, also starring Boman Irani, releases September 11.