Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 is eyeing a career-best solo opening, with the film expected to earn around ₹20 crore on its first day at the box office.
Awarapan 2 is gearing up for a big Friday at the box office, going head-to-head with Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947, backed by Aamir Khan.
The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, as the Hindustan Times review reads, “The first half of this Nitin Kakkar directorial is effective in keeping the viewer hooked, with the rehash of the popular Toh Phir Aao doing much of the heavy lifting on the nostalgia front. There are stretches, though, where the story begins to test your patience and feels repetitive. There’s a gunfight every 15-20 minutes, which means the characters barely have time to process one shootout before another one arrives.”
According to trade reports, Awarapan 2 is targeting a career-best solo debut for Hashmi, with first-day collections expected to reach ₹20 crore on August 14.
The ₹20 crore projection for Awarapan 2 could dwarf the original’s lifetime ₹7 crore India net collection, despite the first film later becoming a cult classic.
Directed by Mohit Suri, the original became a cult favourite thanks to its hit soundtrack, memorable dialogues and Hashmi’s praised portrayal of a gangster seeking redemption.
Nitin Kakkar, known for Filmistan, takes over as director for the sequel, with a script by Bilal Siddiqui, who also wrote Aryan Khan’s debut series The Ba**ds of Bollywood.
Advance bookings for Awarapan 2 have gained strong momentum ahead of the extended weekend.
According to Sacnilk, Awarapan 2 has sold over one lakh day-one tickets across more than 5,000 shows nationwide.
Positive audience response may fuel a major weekend surge for Awarapan 2, with trade estimates putting its opening weekend near ₹80 crore domestically.
Awarapan 2 brings back Emraan Hashmi in his iconic role of Shivam Pandit along with Shabana Azmi, Disha Patani, and Suvinder Vicky.
