Saif Ali Khan in 2026: Kartavya, Haiwaan and Next Projects

Saif Ali Khan has had two 2026 releases with very different outcomes: Kartavya on Netflix, which divided critics, and Haiwaan in theatres, which flopped. This profile covers both and what has been reported about his next projects.

Kartavya

Kartavya reached Netflix on May 15, 2026. Pulkit wrote and directed, and Gauri Khan's Red Chillies produced. Saif plays Inspector Pawan Malik, with Rasika Dugal, Sanjay Mishra and Zakir Hussain. The film runs 108 minutes.

Rotten Tomatoes lists 25 per cent from 12 reviews. Scores from outlets include Indian Express 1.5 out of 5, Rediff 2, Hindustan Times 2.5, NDTV 3, [IndiaToday.in](http://IndiaToday.in) 3 and Filmfare 3.5.

Haiwaan

Haiwaan opened on September 11. Priyadarshan directs this remake of Oppam, with Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. Koimoi puts the worldwide gross at about ₹15 crore against a reported budget of ₹130 crore to ₹150 crore, and calls it a flop. The Indian Express reported that Priyadarshan ruled out serious films with Akshay Kumar.

What is next

The reports we found mention a Netflix series, Hum Hindustani, and an untitled thriller from Excel Entertainment that is in the writing stage. Neither has a release date.

Two outcomes compared

Kartavya has no collection data, and Haiwaan has clear ones. They cannot be compared on numbers. On reception, one is divisive and the other is a commercial loss. We make no claim that either reflects Saif's standing.

The cover photograph

The cover photograph shows Saif Ali Khan at the Beijing Olympics torch relay at India Gate in 2008. It is an official photograph from that event.

The streaming question

A growing share of Saif's recent work has been on platforms. The sources we reviewed do not discuss that trend, so we leave it as an observation of his list: Kartavya and the Netflix series both sit there.

What Kartavya is about

According to the film's Wikipedia page, Kartavya is set in the fictional small town of Jhamli. Saif plays Inspector Pawan Malik, who is deputed to guard a journalist. An attack leaves the journalist dead, and the surviving shooter turns out to be a 16-year-old boy. Pawan promises to keep the boy safe. Meanwhile his own brother's inter-caste marriage puts another set of people in danger, and the story turns on whether Pawan can protect them.

What the critics said

The reviews were sharply divided. Shubhra Gupta of the Indian Express wrote that the film "comes undone due to lazy, formulaic writing". Tanisha Bhattacharya of NDTV called it "taut, gritty" and said it keeps viewers hooked. Anuj Kumar of The Hindu said the film struggles under "misplaced star service". Nandini Ramnath of [Scroll.in](http://Scroll.in) noted that it has "the good sense to wrap up in 108 minutes".

Taken together, the praise is for the atmosphere and the understated supporting characters, and the complaints are about formula and a flat antagonist.

What we do not know

We do not know Kartavya's viewership. We do not know the final Haiwaan budget. And we do not know whether the Excel Entertainment thriller will start shooting this year.

The bottom line

Saif Ali Khan's 2026 is a divisive streaming release in May, a theatrical flop in September and a pipeline of a series and a thriller. The year's numbers are not strong, and his next steps are not yet dated.

Sources

*Cover photo: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_film_actor,_Saif_Ali_Khan_joins_the_Beijing_Olympic_2008_Torch_Relay,_at_India_Gate_in_New_Delhi_on_April_17,_2008.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_film_actor,_Saif_Ali_Khan_joins_the_Beijing_Olympic_2008_Torch_Relay,_at_India_Gate_in_New_Delhi_on_April_17,_2008.jpg)* (GODL-India).*