Vishesh Bhatt: Awarapan 2 stirs and challenges the core emotions in us

Few would have seen a sequel to Awarapan (2007) coming eighteen years after its release. Producer Vishesh Bhatt threw a curveball when he marked leading man Emraan Hashmi’s birthday last week by announcing Awarapan 2. Pre-production work has begun on the sequel, which will be helmed by Nitin Kakkar of Filmistaan (2012) and Jawaani Jaaneman (2020) fame, and casting is underway. We’ve learnt that the makers plan to take the film on floors by July.

Emraan Hashmi and Shriya Saran fronted Awarapan 

Think Awarapan sequel, and the first question that comes to one’s mind is whether Hashmi will reprise his role of gangster Shivam Malik. After all, the 2007 movie ended with Shivam dying in a gunfight and reuniting with his love, essayed by Shriya Saran, in the afterlife. But sources tell us that Hashmi’s Shivam will return in the second edition. “The plan is to take the narrative forward because Shivam is a well-known character. While Awarapan was written by Shagufta Rafique from a story by Mahesh Bhatt, the second instalment has been written by Vishesh, Nitin and Bilal Siddiqi. Like the original, this one too will have a love story at its core and a strong dose of action,” reveals a source.  

Vishesh Bhatt

Over the years, producer Mukesh Bhatt and his filmmaker-son Vishesh have doled out many franchises—from Aashiqui to Raaz and Murder—under their banner. What made them consider taking Awarapan’s story forward after almost two decades? Vishesh says, “Awarapan has lived on in fans’ hearts for years. We always wanted to bring Shivam back, but only if we found a story that did justice to his legacy. Now, we’re finally making its sequel. We had many superhit films to make a sequel of, but we picked Awarapan because it’s an emotional story. The first was a dramatic crime story set in a dark world; the sequel will be an emotional story [rooted in] crime. Awarapan 2 stirs and challenges the core emotions in us, [feelings that are] conflicted and dark. In an era of big-screen entertainers, these are stories that talk about one’s inner conflicts.”

While Vishesh is no stranger to direction, he has roped in Kakkar, whose Filmistaan won the National Award, to helm the movie. Explaining his choice, he says, “I don’t attend film parties, but I go to film festivals to watch independent filmmakers’ work. When I saw Filmistaan, I was blown away. Nitin’s courage as a storyteller stayed with me.”