'Why not Jannat': Emraan Hashmi was not sold on Awarapan 2, reveals Visheh Bhatt, softened after re-releases worked

Awarapan 2 producer Vishesh Bhatt talks about how the film came to be and why Emraan Hashmi was not gung-ho about the idea from the start.

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. The sequel, released last week, is already Emraan Hashmi’s highest-grossing film. 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.

Vishesh Bhatt and Emraan Hashmi after the release of Awarapan 2.

‘Awarapan 2 was an emotional decision’

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.”

The original Awarapan, released in 2007, was a massive box-office failure. It later attained cult status, but the box-office blemish remained. Shivam, the character played by Emraan Hashmi, gained a fan following too. Talking about bringing Emraan back, Vishesh says, “There were so many layers and so much depth in that character that we had to bring him. He is a broken man, and we have all taken his pain for 18-19 years.”

Deep Dive

What emotional connections influenced the making of Awarapan 2?

Why did Emraan Hashmi initially hesitate to return for Awarapan 2?

How does Awarapan 2 set the stage for a possible Awarapan 3?

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‘Why Awarapan 19 years later?’

Vishesh Films has a good track record with sequels. Its top 5 grossing films are all sequels. They pioneered the ‘spiritual successor’ trend in Hindi cinema with thematically connected franchises like Raaz, Aashiqui, and Jism. But with Awarapan, Vishesh decided to bring back Shivam and continue the same story. “People would ask, ‘You have so many franchises. Why Awarapan 19 years later?',” he recalls.

“I said it actually came from feeling a lack of emotions connecting to the audience in me during Covid. Those 2-3 years, there was a lot of at-home watching, and a lot of things were being made for that. But I felt that when the cinemas open, what would I want to go and see? I felt drama was missing. Everything is being mounted with VFX and grand scale. We have done the same things here, but to support the drama. Everything looked like a very clever cover-up for lack of drama.”

‘Why not Jannat?’

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. Emraan said Awarapan is a beautiful film, but our hearts did break when it didn't do well. 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, I said I am stuck on Awarapan,” he says with a laugh.

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 also softened his stance on the market,” the filmmaker says.

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. Directed by Nitin Kakkar, the film also stars Shabana Azmi, Disha Patani, and Suvinder Vicky.