The sequel, released last week, is already Emraan Hashmi ’s highest-grossing film. The success of Awarapan 2 almost seems like a foregone conclusion at this point. The first film, released in 2007, is a cult classic with a dedicated and loyal fan base. But hindsight is always 20/20, as they say.
When the film was in the ideation stage, Emraan was not very confident about it, reveals producer Vishesh Bhatt . In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, the filmmaker talks about how the much-anticipated sequel came to be.
Directed by Nitin Kakkar, the film also stars Shabana Azmi , Disha Patani, and Suvinder Vicky. Awarapan 2 was announced last year and hit the screens on August 14, on the eve of Independence Day. Despite competition from Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947, the film had a grand opening, earning ₹ 107 crore net in India and ₹ 153 crore gross worldwide in six days.
Ask him if making Awarapan 2 was a creative decision or a business decision, and Vishesh promptly says, “It was an emotional decision. The filmmaker elaborates, “I think we followed a lot of things emotionally, which probably converted. That’s why the audience feels that way. Creative came from the emotional, and then comes the business. Vishesh reveals that even Emraan was not fully sold on the idea of an Awarapan sequel when he first approached him a few years ago. “Jannat came just after Awarapan, and a lot of learnings from why Awarapan didn’t work went into Jannat. And that was a success. So, why not Jannat? That is close to you, and it worked. It’s almost obvious to me, forget the market, that we would take that forward. But what turned the tide was when the re-release market worked at the box office. “When the re-release of films that had tanked started doing well, I felt like I was onto something.
Emraan said Awarapan is a beautiful film, but our hearts did break when it didn’t do well. But, I said I am stuck on Awarapan,” he says with a laugh. Emraan also softened his stance on the market,” the filmmaker says.
