Emraan Hashmi denies doing Awarapan 2 to cash in on nostalgia: “We were holding off on a sequel, but…” 2 : Bollywood News

Emraan Hashmi has addressed long-standing speculation around Awarapan 2, clarifying that the sequel to his 2007 cult film is not being made to cash in on nostalgia. In a conversation with The Indian Express, the actor explained that the project has been in development for several years and only moved forward once a story worthy of continuation fell into place.

Emraan Hashmi denies doing Awarapan 2 to cash in on nostalgia: “We were holding off on a sequel, but…”

Emraan Hashmi denies doing Awarapan 2 to cash in on nostalgia: “We were holding off on a sequel, but…”“I’m not doing Awarapan 2 for nostalgia. This film has been planned for the past seven years. We just happened to stumble upon a script. We were holding off on a sequel, but when we read a script that was taking Shivam’s journey ahead, we got to it. It’s not cashing in,” Emraan said.

His statement comes at a time when Bollywood sequels have faced increased scrutiny, with audiences and trade experts questioning the creative intent behind follow-ups to successful films. Emraan’s emphasis on story continuity rather than brand value aligns with a larger industry conversation around sequel fatigue.

Recently, trade analyst Taran Adarsh, speaking to Bollywood Hungama, noted that 2025 proved to be a challenging year for sequels at the box office. “2025 was not a good year for sequels. Some of the big films—War 2, and Son Of Sardaar 2—were quite disappointing. I don’t think it was a good year for sequels, except for one or two cases. The only real problem I see is that audiences no longer want forced sequels. Just because a film becomes successful doesn’t mean you can immediately announce another one by adding ‘2’, ‘3’, or ‘4’ to the title. The story has to justify the continuation. That point has now been clearly proven,” he said.

Against this backdrop, Awarapan 2 appears to be positioning itself as a character-driven continuation rather than a franchise extension. The original film, directed by Mohit Suri, has grown in stature over the years for its music, themes of redemption, and Emraan’s portrayal of Shivam, making expectations from the sequel particularly high.

On the release front, Awarapan 2 was earlier slated for a March 2026 theatrical debut. However, the film has now been pushed ahead, leading to speculation that the decision was influenced by a potential box office clash with Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2 and Yash’s Toxic. Addressing these rumours, producer Mukesh Bhatt dismissed the clash theory and offered a clear explanation.

“The release date of Awarapan 2 has been shifted to either May or June because while shooting for the film, Emraan Hashmi met with an accident and he had to go through surgery. As a result, he isn’t allowed to do action for 45 days. So, all the action sequences will be performed later,” Bhatt told PTI.

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