After Bhooth Bangla, Rajesh Sharma has collaborated with Priyadarshan for the second time in Haiwaan, the Hindi remake of the director’s 2016 Malayalam film Oppam.
This film also marks Rajesh Sharma’s sixth film with Akshay Kumar. Ahead of the film’s release, Rajesh Sharma sat down for a chat with NDTV, sharing his special bond with the Special 26 actor, Saif Ali Khan, and the one thing Priyadarshan asked him to do specially for this film.
‘Akshay Sir Loves Me Very Much’
Rajesh Sharma calls Akshay Kumar ‘Sir’. “He is senior to me in every aspect,” Sharma tells NDTV.
Rajesh Sharma first worked with Akshay Kumar in Neeraj Pandey’s Special 26 (2013). That was the beginning. Over the years, the friendship grew into a solid bond.
“I can’t remember the exact moment when this friendship flourished. But he started calling me to have lunch with him at his tent. He’s a wonderful person. We share our Punjabi roots. Whenever we meet, we start speaking in Punjabi,” Sharma says about Akshay Kumar.
When Rajesh Sharma was hospitalised in July following a severe infection on his right leg, Akshay Kumar shared an X post, wishing him a speedy recovery.
“Very concerned to hear about my dear friend Rajesh’s health condition after an insect bite while shooting. Hope Mahadev blesses him with a fast and complete recovery. Jaldi theek ho ja yaar, abhi saath baith ke bahut hansna hai (Get well soon, friend! We’re yet to sit and laugh together a lot more),” Akshay Kumar wrote on X.
Very concerned to hear about my dear friend Rajesh’s health condition after an insect bite while shooting. Hope Mahadev blesses him with fast and complete recovery. Jaldi theek ho ja yaar, abhi saath baith ke bhot hansna hai. pic.twitter.com/n8yH6IYxKH
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 9, 2026
Akshay Kumar and Rajesh Sharma worked in films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017), Laxmii (2020), Mission Raniganj (2023), and Bhooth Bangla (2026).
“Saif Ali Khan Co-operative But Reserved”
Haiwaan marks Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar’s seventh film together.
The last film Saif and Akshay appeared in together was Vijay Krishna Acharya’s 2007 action comedyTashan.
Speaking about Saif Ali Khan, Rajesh says, “He’s a wonderful person. He’s very co-operative. But he is an introvert kind of person. He’s reserved.”
“Akshay Sir is fond of jokes. Whenever we meet, he cracks jokes, and I also share jokes with him. Akshay Sir ke dil mein chhota sa ek kona hai, jis mein Rajesh Sharma hai (Rajesh Sharma is there in a small corner of his heart),” says the actor.
‘You Won’t Smile In This Film’
Rajesh Sharma is super exhilarated to have worked with Priyadarshan.
“I met him first in a Juhu hotel. He called me for Bhooth Bangla. He is very simple. He narrated the role to me. He demanded only one thing.
“‘You won’t smile in this film. You are very famous for your smile. But I don’t want you to smile in this film,'” Sharma says with a big smile on his face.
Rajesh Sharma also recalled an incident when he suddenly received a call from Priyadarshan. He thought he had done something wrong during the shoot. But he was not prepared for the pleasant surprise.
“I was waiting at my vanity van. An assistant came and told me, ‘Priyadarshan Sir is calling you.’ I thought, ‘What happened?’ Sir was calling me to have lunch with him at his tent. This kind of respect I have received only from one director before Priyadarshan Sir. He is Raj Kumar Gupta (No One Killed Jessica). He used to take me to coffee shops and eateries,” recalls Sharma.
Co-written and directed by Priyadarshan. Produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films, Haiwaan stars Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Saiyami Kher.
The film is releasing in theatres tomorrow.
