No distributor backed Awarapan 2: Producer Vishesh Bhatt as film wins box office

Producer Vishesh Bhatt has said no distributor initially wanted to buy Awarapan 2. As the Emraan Hashmi-starrer records a strong start at the box office, Bhatt said the makers put in their own money and that audience support in cinemas is what makes such films possible.Awarapan 2, directed by Nitin Kakkar, released on August 14 and clashed with Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947. The sequel to the 2007 film Awarapan brings back Hashmi as Shivam Pandit and also stars Shabana Azmi, Disha Patani and Suvinder Vicky.In an interview with Zoom, Vishesh said, “If you want to watch films like Awarapan, you will have to support it in cinemas. Otherwise, how would I know that you are interested in that? If I know, I will put in my hard-earned money to cash-grab it. Let me tell you, Awarapan 2 is not a cash grab film.”He added, “Nothing is there; there is part one that will take you to part two. If it were a cash grab, distributors would have shown interest in it, and I would have been sitting on a table profit today. Nobody in the market came to buy the film. We put our own money into it. Yes, the market did wake up when the film was ready. If audiences show love for films like these, Awarapan kind of films can be made.” More about the filmThe original Awarapan underperformed at the box office in 2007 but later gained cult status. Awarapan 2 has received mixed-to-positive reviews, with praise for Emraan's performance. The sequel continues Shivam's story after he survives the six bullets fired at him in the first film. He rescues a baby, Aliyah, and grows attached to her, only to learn from Interpol that she has been pushed into a child trafficking racket. Shivam then infiltrates Zorawar's gang to save her.At the box office, the film crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in two days and went past the lifetime collections of some of Emraan's earlier successful films, including Jannat and Murder. According to trade website Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 33.75 crore nett in India on Day 2 across 10,496 shows, taking its two-day India net total to Rs 55.75 crore and its India gross to Rs 66.90 crore. It also earned an estimated Rs 3.50 crore overseas on Saturday, taking its overseas gross to Rs 6 crore and its worldwide gross to an estimated Rs 72.90 crore.The strong opening also put Awarapan 2 ahead of Batwara 1947, while it is also facing competition from Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With this start, the film has already surpassed the total collection of its predecessor. Awarapan had opened to around Rs 79 lakh nett on Day 1 and earned about Rs 2.88 crore in its opening weekend, while Awarapan 2 collected Rs 21 crore on its first day alone.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Aug 16, 2026 22:39 IST