Actor Emraan Hashmi’s Shivam Pandit seems to have finally got his due at the box office, as the action-thriller ‘Awarapan 2’ has emerged as the highest-grossing film among the actor’s solo starrers and the biggest opener from the Vishesh Films-Emraan Hashmi combination.
The film’s strong opening has also marked a strong comeback for the franchise, with moviegoers showing a clear interest in seeing Hashmi return to the action-packed world of Awarapan.
‘Awarapan 2’, the sequel to the 2007 film ‘Awarapan’, has earned Rs 23.40 crore on its opening day, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
The film has also crossed the lifetime collection of the first ‘Awarapan’ on its opening day itself. According to Adarsh, ‘Awarapan 2’ has emerged as the third-biggest opener of 2026, after ‘Dhurandhar 2’ and ‘Border 2’.
The opening has also put the film ahead of the first-day business of films, including ‘Bhooth Bangla’, ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Dhamaal 4’, ‘Cocktail 2’ and ‘Alpha’, according to the trade analyst.
With August 15 being a holiday, the film is expected to see another strong day at the box office.
Directed by Nitin Kakkar and produced by Vishesh Bhatt, ‘Awarapan 2’ brings back Emraan Hashmi as Shivam Pandit. The film also stars Shabana Azmi, Disha Patani and Suvinder Vicky.
‘Awarapan 2’ has received mixed to positive reviews, with Emraan’s performance and the film’s tone receiving praise from viewers and critics.
The original Awarapan, directed by Mohit Suri, was released on June 29, 2007. Starring Emraan Hashmi and Shriya Saran, the film did not perform well at the box office upon release but gradually went on to earn a strong cult following among fans. Its music, especially tracks like ‘Toh Phir Aao’, continues to remain popular and is still widely played in cars, parties, and playlists even years later.
The story of the first film followed Shivam Pandit, a contract killer who is asked to keep an eye on his boss’s mistress. After learning that she is a victim of sex trafficking, he decides to help reunite her with the man she loves.
