- Saif Ali Khan said director Priyadarshan reminds him of his late father Tiger Pataudi
- Tiger Pataudi lost sight in one eye but became India's youngest Test cricket captain
- Priyadarshan was a state-level cricketer before an accident ended his sports career
Saif Ali Khan, who plays a visually impaired musician and martial-arts coach in Priyadarshan's Haiwaan, said the director reminds him of his late father and legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, aka Tiger Pataudi.
"Priyadarshan is like Clint Eastwood — senior and calm. He reminds me of my dad. Both were cricketers and both lost an eye, but were great in their professions. Priyadarshan gives you just one take, so you have to make quick decisions as an actor, and he wraps up the shoot on time every single day," Saif told Hindustan Times.
Tiger Pataudi lost sight in his right eye after a severe car accident in London in 1961. The accident occurred while a teammate was driving the car.
Following eye surgery, Pataudi was left with double vision. Just five months later, at age 20, he made his Test debut for India and went on to become the youngest-ever Test captain for the Indian cricket team the next year. He would often pull down his cricket cap over his right eye to block the double vision.
Priyadarshan used to play cricket at the state level in his youth and had aspired to become a professional cricketer, but an accident on the pitch left him disabled for life. The cricket ball struck his left eye, forcing him to alter the course of his career and switch to filmmaking.
The film also marks Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar's seventh film together.
"Akshay playing the villain elevated the project. It's the first time I'm playing a strong, author-backed role in a film with him. He played my elder brother in our first movie together, Yeh Dillagi, and that set the tone for our relationship. We were new, not encroaching on each other, and became good friends. I remember we had a 40-day shoot in Shimla and his Nepalese spot boy would sing Khiladi songs at 6 a.m. outside my room. I wanted to throw things at him because I just wanted to sleep," Saif said.
He added that both Priyadarshan and Akshay believed Haiwaan was his best work.
The last film Saif and Akshay appeared in together was Vijay Krishna Acharya's 2007 action comedy Tashan.
