Awarapan 2 Review: Almost two decades since the original Awarapan gained cult status, Emraan Hashmi returns as Shivam Pandit. This movie hit the theatres on August 14, 2026, reintroducing one of the actor’s most beloved characters and the franchise’s typical dark ambiance, action sequences, and dramatic narrative.
Though the original Awarapan was not very successful upon its initial release in 2007, its music, emotionally charged story, and acting by Emraan Hashmi slowly but surely built up a dedicated fan base for it.
However, has Awarapan 2 lived up to all expectations?
Awarapan 2 Release Date
The movie Awarapan 2 hit the theatres on August 14, 2026. This movie is being helmed by Nitin Kakkar and features Emraan Hashmi, Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi in lead roles.
Moreover, the release of the movie during the weekend of India’s Independence Day has certainly helped the movie immensely in gaining audience attendance.
Awarapan 2 Story
In this sequel, Shivam Pandit remains a central character, although much older, with many emotionally charged years behind him.
Instead of just reenacting the tragic love affair that marked the first movie, this sequel places Shivam in the midst of a highly dangerous task concerning the abduction of children and a criminal organization.
What makes this mission personal for Shivam is his encounter with Aaliyah, a name that triggers memories about the woman who left her mark on his life.
After this introduction, the film plunges into an underworld of crime, vengeance, and rescue operations. In this film, Zara is played by Disha Patani and Zorawar by Puran Gabbi.
While such a plot provides Shivam with another motivation to go on fighting, the most important aspect is whether this sequel offers him enough emotional growth.
Awarapan 2 Review
The biggest challenge for Awarapan 2 was always going to be its predecessor.
The first Awarapan struck a chord with the audience due to the way in which Shivam was portrayed not only as an attractive action man, but also as someone with emotions – loneliness, guilt, love, and ultimately a transformation.
The follow-up certainly delivers more action and is better visually. The fights are more spectacular, the cinematography is more contemporary, and the entire production looks much more costly than the previous film from 2007.
Nevertheless, not all the script lines succeed in reaching that level of emotional involvement.
There are several scenes when the film seems more concerned with reminding us of what we loved about Shivam rather than giving us something new.
That makes the nostalgia enjoyable, but it also becomes one of the film’s limitations.
Emraan Hashmi as Shivam Pandit
Emraan Hashmi remains the biggest reason to watch the film.
Even after all these years, the actor manages to bring the same quiet intensity to Shivam. His expressions often communicate more than the dialogue, particularly in scenes where the character is dealing with memories of his past.
The physical transformation also suits the action-oriented version of Shivam.
But the screenplay occasionally holds him back. There are moments where Hashmi seems capable of taking the character much deeper, yet the writing chooses a familiar action-revenge route instead.
For longtime fans, however, seeing Emraan back as Shivam is likely to be the film’s biggest emotional payoff.
Disha Patani’s Performance
The actress Disha Patani takes on the role of Zara, who turns out to be an integral part of the major conflict of the movie.
She gets chances to come out of her role of being just another romantic interest in the movie, especially in the climactic scenes.
However, the chemistry of Emraan and hers does work, but not to the extent to which the central characters of the original Awarapan were successful.
Shabana Azmi and Puran Gabbi
Shabana Azmi adds credibility and expertise to the film, while Zorawar played by Puran Gabbi offers a formidable foe for Shivam.
The antagonist creates enough tension to push forward the action in the film, but at times he ends up seeming like a necessity of the plot rather than an antagonist in flesh and blood.
The supporting actors are excellent, but unfortunately, the screenplay does not allow them all to make much of an impact.
Awarapan 2 Music
Musical tracks like “To Phir Aao” and “Tera Mera Rishta” were some of the most important aspects of Awarapan.
This sets a tough standard for the next installment.
When it comes to Awarapan 2, anything that reminds people of the music from the original Awarapan instantly recalls the ambience associated with Shivam.
What is sad is that the new soundtrack does not match the popularity enjoyed by the old tracks.
In simpler terms, while the old tracks are laden with emotions, the new ones find it hard to make their mark.
Awarapan 2 Box Office Collection
The film has made a strong start commercially.
According to the reports that can be found on the date of release, Awarapan 2 had managed to touch ₹11 crore in advance booking. Opening day advance was said to be around ₹8.57 crore, not counting the blocked seats. The estimated opening was expected to be in the range of ₹20 crore net.
Later box office tracking has also revealed an initial Day 1 collection of around ₹9.5 crore.
Awarapan 2 Box Office Collection Day Wise
| Day | India Net Collection |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Updating |
| Day 2 | Updating |
| Day 3 | Updating |
| Day 4 | Updating |
| Weekend | Updating |
| Total | Updating |
Box-office figures can change as theatres and trade trackers update their numbers.
Awarapan 2 vs Batwara 1947
The film is also competing directly with Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947, which released around the same Independence Day window.
Early advance-booking numbers strongly favoured Awarapan 2. Reports put its advance sales at around ₹11.36 crore compared with approximately ₹4.21 crore for Batwara 1947.
The early occupancy trend also gave Emraan Hashmi’s film an advantage, although the final winner of the box-office clash will depend on audience word of mouth throughout the holiday weekend.
Awarapan 2 IMDb Rating
The IMDb rating of Awarapan 2 can change frequently during the first few days because viewers continue submitting ratings after watching the film.
Therefore, early ratings should not be treated as the movie’s final IMDb score. Audiences looking for the latest rating should check the live IMDb listing after the film has accumulated more votes.
Awarapan 2 OTT Release Date
At the time of its theatrical release, Awarapan 2 is primarily playing in cinemas.
An official OTT premiere date should be treated separately from rumours or social-media claims. Once the streaming platform and release date are officially announced, that information can be added here.
Is Awarapan 2 Worth Watching?
If you are an Emraan Hashmi fan or have a strong connection with the original Awarapan, the sequel offers enough nostalgia, action and Shivam Pandit’s screen presence to make it interesting.
However, viewers expecting the exact same emotional impact as the 2007 film may find the sequel less powerful.
The new movie looks bigger and more polished, but its greatest strength remains the character it inherited rather than a completely new emotional world.
Awarapan 2 Rating
Rating: 2.5/5
Final Verdict
Awarapan 2 does manage to bring Emraan Hashmi’s immortal character of Shivam Pandit back on screen, and yet again manages to demonstrate why this character is so popular with the audience.
What works for the movie is the action, the visuals, and the nostalgia, while the screenplay sometimes fails to create the same emotions which were created in the original one.
For the fans, the most interesting thing about this film will be the return of Shivam Pandit. And for everyone else, this movie functions more as a dark thriller rather than an emotional sequel.