Rating: 3/5 (⭐ ⭐ ⭐)
‘Akkha Bollywood ek taraf aur Emraan Hashmi ek taraf‘. The man proves it once again. And honestly, all three stars are for him.
Because if there is one thing Awarapan 2 makes clear, it is this – some iconic films are better left untouched. Some stories don’t need a part 2. They don’t need a comeback, a new chapter or another ending. Let fans keep the original close to their hearts, exactly the way they remember it.
But then, there is Emraan Hashmi. And for him, fans will always turn up.
Directed by Nitin Kakkar Awarapan 2, one of the most awaited sequels for Emraan Hashmi fans, finally hit theatres on August 14, and the packed houses say everything about the excitement around Shivam Pandit’s return. The expectations were huge. The nostalgia was bigger. But sadly, the story doesn’t quite live up to the man returning to it.
Emraan Hashmi is still Emraan Hashmi
OG Emraan is back as Shivam Pandit, and thankfully, this is one thing the film gets absolutely right. He is in almost 90 percent of the frames, and honestly, you won’t complain. The long hair, the brooding eyes, the silence, the pain and that familiar intensity, Emraan slips back into Shivam as if he never left.
Story
Shivam still carries the pain of Aaliyah’s death. He spends his days visiting her grave and, on her birthday, finds an abandoned baby whom he names Aaliyah. He quietly becomes part of her life, only to lose her again when she is adopted.
When Interpol officer Samarth (Atul Kumar) later brings him back into his old world, Shivam finds himself in Bangkok, surrounded by drug dealers, gangsters and people from the world he thought he had left behind.
And this is where the story begins.
The problem is, the story doesn’t feel like Awarapan. The biggest strength of Awarapan 2 is also its biggest weakness.
Emraan feels like Awarapan. The story doesn’t.
The original had a certain soul. It had pain, music, silence, love and that strange emotional connect that stayed with you long after the film ended.
Awarapan 2 has the production, the action, Bangkok and bigger scale. But somewhere along the way, it starts feeling more like a regular crime-action film than an Awarapan film.
And that is where the disconnect happens.
The screenplay has enough material to keep you interested, but too many twists are easy to guess. The revelations don’t always land with the shock they are meant to. The dialogues work in some places and fall flat in others.
And then there are the gunfights.
There is almost a shootout every 15–20 minutes. At one point, it feels like the characters barely have time to recover from one gunfight before another one arrives. Even the bullets seem to be working overtime.
The first half does a decent job of keeping you hooked, especially with the nostalgia. But the film starts losing steam in the second half, and the long third act becomes a real test of patience.
The nearly 2.5-hour runtime could definitely have been tighter.
But then comes the nostalgia
And this is where Awarapan 2 knows exactly what it is doing. The moment Shriya Saran’s Aaliyah appears in the flashbacks, you are taken back to the original.
And then comes Toh Phir Aao. And Tera Mera Rishta.
For a few moments, you forget everything and simply become that old Awarapan fan again.
Tera Mera Rishta still has that magic. It still hits somewhere deep when it plays at an important moment. Toh Phir Aao, however, deserved a much stronger sequence around it. The song is powerful enough on its own, but the film doesn’t fully use that power.
The cinematography is another plus. The dawn and eclipse sequences are beautifully shot, while Bangkok gives the film a fresh visual feel.
Shabana Azmi steals the show
Shabana Azmi enters as Nafisa, the gangster queen, and immediately owns the frame. She doesn’t need to shout or overdo anything. There is a certain power in the way she carries herself, and honestly, she makes you wish the film had given her much more to do.
At this point, Awarapan 3 should probably be about Nafisa’s backstory.
Other performances
Puran Gabbi as Zorawar makes an impact, although he does go a little over the top at times. Suvinder Vicky is dependable as Jaideep, though the role doesn’t really give him enough room to show what he can do.
Vijayant Kohli also makes an impression as one of the villains.
Disha Patani as Zara is good for the most part. She shares some sweet moments with Emraan, but her character could have been written with more depth. Also, Zara is introduced as an accomplished cello player, but somehow keeps playing the same tune.
What works: Emraan Hashmi, nostalgia, music, cinematography, some performances and the emotional bond between Shivam and young Aaliyah.
What doesn’t: The screenplay, predictable twists, repetitive action, uneven dialogues and the stretched second half.
The film also misses the emotional depth that made the original special. It tries to build the Awarapan world through crime and action, but the soul of Awarapan was never just about crime and action.
That is where the absence of Mohit Suri is felt.
Awarapan 2 or Awarapan 1?
In terms of production, scale and visuals, Awarapan 2 is definitely an upgrade. But when it comes to the soul, music and vibe, the original still wins comfortably.
And perhaps that is the biggest problem with making a sequel to an iconic film.
You can make the world bigger.
You can make the action louder.
You can bring back the same actor.
You can bring back the same songs.
But you cannot force the same feeling.
Emraan Hashmi can still make a packed theatre go silent with just one look. He can still make fans cheer simply by walking into a frame. That connection is very much alive.
But the story? Not so much.
Final verdict
Awarapan 2 is not a terrible film. It has enough moments to work as a one-time theatrical watch, especially if you are an Emraan Hashmi fan or emotionally attached to Shivam.
But if you are walking into the theatre expecting the same soul that made Awarapan special, you may walk out wanting more.
The theatres are full because people still love Emraan Hashmi as Shivam. But the story disappoints because it never quite finds the Awarapan magic.
And then come those final two minutes, which very clearly leave the door open for Awarapan 3.
But do we really need it?
Maybe some stories are better when they are allowed to remain exactly where we left them.
