Awarapan 2 was demanded by Emraan-ians and fans of the first Awarapan. Nineteen years later, the makers of the OG musical action drama brought back Emraan Hashmi’s broken and bruised Shivam Pandit from the dead for a new chapter in his life.
If there were no songs like Tera Mera Rishta Purana and Toh Phir Aao, or the emotional connect between Emraan Hashmi and Shriya Saran’s Shivam and Aaliyah, there would have been no demand — or need — for another Awarapan.
The new Awarapan also goes international, and it stays close to crime: more crime, in fact. The film works and only works because of Emraan Hashmi. Raghav Juyal was right in The Ba***ds of Bollywood: “Akkha Bollywood ek taraf, Emraan Hashmi ek taraf.”
The quiet intensity, bruised conscience, and hopelessness are all trademark Shivam Pandit, who loved deeply and lost too. The rest of Awarapan 2 feels like a tangle of loyalties in a shinier avatar and on a bigger canvas.
If Awarapan was about Shivam longing for the love of his life, Aaliyah, as he helped another woman get to her maahiya, the sequel sees him take on the role of a guardian angel for another Aaliyah. The intensity of love is the same; the form has changed. Years after Aaliyah’s (Shriya Saran, from Awarapan Part 1) death, Shivam goes from Jaipur to Thailand, where he finds a new purpose for the miserable life he has been leading.
In 2026, two Indian drug gangs are wreaking havoc in Thailand. One belongs to Amrit Singh; the other is run by Nafisa Nawaz, “The Queen of Bangkok”, played by a formidable Shabana Azmi. She gets an introduction worth her salt (literally), but is wasted.
Shivam is forced to infiltrate Amrit Singh’s gang, which is practically run by his youngest child, Zorawar (Puran Gabbi) – a trigger-happy wannabe patriarch who does lots of drugs while wearing silk shirts and quirky jewellery. Zorawar has two siblings: Sikandar, the eldest, a man with autism who finds solace in music, and Zara (Disha Patani), a cellist who wants nothing to do with the world of crime and hopes to take Sikandar away.
After Aaliyah, Shivam finds “a beacon of hope” in Zara, but we just don’t feel anything for this new love story. He has more chemistry with the young girl who plays Aaliyah.
Suvinder Vicky is, as ever, dependable as Jaideep, Amrit Singh’s right hand. Vijayant Kohli, the hero’s father from The Ba***ds of Bollywood, brings both quips and creeps as Mehmood, the gang’s treasurer.
Not just the first Awarapan, but other chartbusters from the Bhatt camp are also tapped into. Watch out for that thrilling car chase scene in Awarapan 2‘s first half. The lines “Phir Ishq Karne Chala Kyun?” from Ve Junoon are a total reminder of Phir Mohabbat Karne Chala Hai Tu from Murder 2.
There is a key dock scene in Awarapan 2 where all the top dogs of the Amrit Singh gang are deciding the fate of a member. The waves are crashing, the wind is howling, and the only thing I could think of at that time was Gafoor! Even though the crazy banger has nothing directly to do with Emraan Hashmi, Gafoor featured on The Ba***ds of Bollywood, co-written by Bilal Siddiqui, who also has writing credits in Awarapan 2 and The Bard of Blood (Emraan Hashmi’s first OTT venture).
Besides music and flashbacks rooted in the OG Awarapan, the sequel also brings back ghosts of the past through cameos in important scenes.
Shriya Saran’s Aaliyah may be dead, but her presence is felt through her absence in several scenes of Awarapan 2. The awarapan of Emraan Hashmi’s Shivam Pandit could very well continue as a franchise; we are left with an open ending in Awarapan 2. But do we really need it?
Also Read | Awarapan 2 Vs Batwara 1947: Emraan Hashmi Film Leads By 81% In Advance Booking
