Awarapan 2 brought Emraan Hashmi back as Shivam 19 years after the 2007 cult favourite, and gave him the biggest opening of his career. Here are seven things to know about the sequel, from the cast and music to its Independence Day win at the box office.
Awarapan 2 is Nitin Kakkar’s sequel to the 2007 film, produced by Vishesh Bhatt for Vishesh Films in association with Sony Music India. Hashmi reprises his role from Mohit Suri’s original, with Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi alongside him, and the film opened on Friday 14 August 2026.
It was a clear hit. On a budget reported at under ₹50 crore, it passed ₹130 crore worldwide in four days and finished as one of the most profitable Hindi films of the year.
Awarapan 2 at a glance
- Release date: Friday 14 August 2026, the Independence Day weekend
- Director: Nitin Kakkar
- Writers: Bilal Siddiqui, Vishesh Bhatt and Nitin Kakkar
- Producer: Vishesh Bhatt for Vishesh Films, in association with Sony Music India
- Lead cast: Emraan Hashmi, Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi
- Runtime: 140 minutes
- Certificate: U/A 16+
- Reported budget: under ₹50 crore
- Clashed with: Batwara 1947
1. Emraan Hashmi is back as Shivam
In the original, Shivam Pandit is a gangster’s right-hand man searching for redemption. Hashmi first teased his return in March 2025 with a video set to “Tera Mera Rishta”, one of the 2007 film’s best-loved songs.
The first poster made the link explicit. As WION reported when the release date was announced in April, its dove and bird tattoo imagery points straight back to the original’s themes of freedom and atonement.
2. The original was a flop that became a cult classic
Awarapan (2007), directed by Mohit Suri with Shriya Saran, Mrinalini Sharma and Ashish Vidyarthi, earned only about ₹12 crore against an ₹18 crore budget on release in June 2007. Its reputation grew through television and its music, with “Toh Phir Aao” and “Tera Mera Rishta” still widely played almost two decades on.
The sequel honours that history. Shriya Saran returns in a special appearance as Aaliyah and Shaad Randhawa as Kabir, the characters they played in the first film, and that slow-burn affection is exactly what the new film was built to cash in on.
3. Awarapan 2 has a new director
Mohit Suri did not return. Nitin Kakkar, known for Filmistaan and Jawaani Jaaneman, took over, working from a screenplay by Bilal Siddiqui with Bhatt and Kakkar, based on a story by Bhatt.
Filming began in September 2025 and ran until June 2026, moving between Bangkok, Rajasthan, Malaysia and Mumbai. It was not a smooth shoot: Hashmi suffered an abdominal injury during an action sequence in Rajasthan and needed surgery. Our report on how Awarapan 2 goes on floors covers the start of production.
The release date shifted too. The film was first scheduled for 3 April 2026 before settling on the Independence Day weekend, which set up a head-on clash with Sunny Deol.
4. The Awarapan 2 cast
- Emraan Hashmi as Shivam Pandit
- Disha Patani as Zara Singh
- Shabana Azmi as Nafisa Nawaz
- Puran Gabbi as Zorawar Singh
- Atul Kumar as Interpol officer Samarth Singh
- Aniruddh Rawal, Suvinder Vicky, Vijayant Kohli and Barun Chanda in supporting roles
- Shriya Saran and Shaad Randhawa in special appearances
5. The music brings back two classics
Music was always going to matter for an Emraan Hashmi film. The soundtrack brings together Mithoon, Amaal Mallik, Jeet Gannguli, Akhil Sachdeva and Wasif Ahmad, and Sony Music released it on 11 August 2026, three days before the film.
New versions of “Tera Mera Rishta” and “Toh Phir Aao” sit alongside fresh tracks such as “Ve Junoon” and “Yeh Awarapan”. One absence drew comment: Mustafa Zahid, who sang both originals, was not part of the new album.
6. Awarapan 2 box office: Emraan’s biggest opening
The film opened to ₹22 crore net in India, the biggest first day of Hashmi’s career and more than the original earned in its entire run, The Week reported. The Independence Day holiday then delivered ₹33.75 crore on Saturday.
- Opening weekend: ₹81.75 crore net in India, and the third-biggest opening day of 2026 after Dhurandhar 2 and Border 2
- Worldwide after four days: ₹130.82 crore, per Sacnilk via Gulf News
- India net after 11 days: ₹136 crore, per Pinkvilla
- August total in India: ₹148.40 crore, per Variety India
- Worldwide gross: about ₹205 crore, including roughly ₹33 crore from overseas markets
The Hollywood Reporter India noted that the film was mounted for under ₹50 crore and, citing Box Office India, that it posted the highest single-day collection ever for a film made for under ₹50 crore.
7. Awarapan 2 won the Independence Day clash
Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947, produced by Aamir Khan, opened the same day and earned ₹28.50 crore net in four days. Hashmi’s film took ₹91 crore over the same period.
Reviews were mixed, with ratings from 2 to 3.5 out of 5, and NDTV’s critic wrote that “the film works and only works because of Emraan Hashmi”. Audiences turned up regardless, drawn by nostalgia for the original and its chartbuster songs.
Hashmi has a loyal following across India and the Gulf that remembers his run of soulful 2000s soundtracks. This film gave that audience a reason to go back to the cinema, and the open ending leaves room for a third instalment.
Where to watch Awarapan 2 in the UAE
Amazon Prime Video holds the digital rights, and the official trailer was released on the Prime Video India channel. No streaming date had been confirmed in the sources we checked, so UAE viewers should search for the film in the Prime Video app and check VOX, Reel, Novo and Roxy listings for any remaining cinema shows.
Awarapan 2 FAQs
When did Awarapan 2 release?
It opened in cinemas on Friday 14 August 2026, the Independence Day weekend in India.
Is Emraan Hashmi playing the same character in Awarapan 2?
Yes. He returns as Shivam Pandit, the role he played in the 2007 film Awarapan.
Is Awarapan 2 a hit?
Yes. It crossed ₹130 crore worldwide in four days on a budget reported at under ₹50 crore, and reached about ₹205 crore worldwide.
For more on the star, read Emraan Hashmi on Haq, and find more stories in our Bollywood section.