Haiwaan Song Mere Hero Hai Woh Shows Saif Ali Khan's Softer Side

After a teaser built on mystery and menace, Haiwaan's first song swings the other way entirely. Mere Hero Hai Woh, released this week, is an emotional track centred on the bond between Saif Ali Khan's visually challenged character and Pahal Chaudhary, the little girl in the film, per India Today. The song places affection and innocence at the centre of a film that has been positioned as a psychological thriller.

• Mere Hero Hai Woh, the first song from Haiwaan, has been released, following the film's teaser (India Today, 20 August)
• The track is composed by Pritam, written by Javed Akhtar, and sung by Shaan and Vanika Nayak (India Today, 20 August)
• Saif Ali Khan plays a visually challenged character, and the song centres on his bond with Pahal Chaudhary, the little girl in the film (India Today and India TV News, 19-20 August)
• Haiwaan is directed by Priyadarshan and positioned as a psychological thriller (India Today, 20 August)
• Priyadarshan has said Haiwaan is not a remake of his Malayalam film Oppam (MensXP, 19 August)
• The film pairs Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan and is slated for a 11 September theatrical release (Bollywood Hungama, 19 August)

India TV News notes that the track puts Saif front and centre — an unusual choice for a two-hero film, and an early signal of where the story's emotional weight sits.

A veteran hit squad behind the track

The credits read like a 2000s Bollywood reunion: music by Pritam, lyrics by Javed Akhtar, and vocals by Shaan alongside Vanika Nayak, per India Today. Bollywood Hungama reports the song is designed to reveal the emotional bond at the heart of Saif's track in the film before the thriller elements take over.

For Shaan, it is a high-profile return to a big-film soundtrack lead; for Pritam and Akhtar, it extends long associations with director Priyadarshan's brand of mainstream filmmaking.

Not an Oppam remake, says Priyadarshan

Haiwaan's premise — a thriller built around a visually impaired protagonist — has invited comparisons to Oppam, Priyadarshan's 2016 Mohanlal hit. The director has now addressed this directly, per MensXP, confirming that Haiwaan is not a remake of the Malayalam film. The same report relays his account of how Akshay Kumar came aboard a role once discussed for Bobby Deol.

Priyadarshan has separately praised Saif's performance, with Peepingmoon quoting him as saying the actor delivered beyond expectations.

The September stakes

Haiwaan arrives in cinemas on 11 September, reuniting Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan on screen decades after their 1990s pairings, per Bollywood Hungama. With the teaser out, the first song released and the promotional machinery clearly building week by week, the film is shaping up as one of the more closely watched Hindi releases of the season — a mainstream thriller betting on nostalgia in front of the camera and behind it.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from India Today, India TV News, Bollywood Hungama, MensXP, Peepingmoon.