Awarapan 2 movie review: Emraan Hashmi owns the screen, but nostalgia can only take the sequel so far

Awarapan 2 film review: For Emraan Hashmi fans, the 2007 Awarapan was iconic and the character Shivam Pandit became inseparable from the actor. Now, almost 19 years later, he is back as a wounded gangster whose journey towards redemption in the original movie ended in sacrifice. Directed by Nitin Kakkar, Awarapan 2 attempts to give another purpose to a man who has already sacrificed himself once but somehow survives.

While the original film, directed by Mohit Suri, did not become a major box-office success when it was released, its emotional storytelling and soundtrack gradually turned it into a cult favourite. Let's find out if Awarapan 2 has managed to live up to the legacy of the first film.

The plot of Awarapan 2 movie

The film picks up Shivam Pandit's story years after the events of the first film. Still carrying the emotional scars of his past, he visits Aliyah's grave and finds himself questioning why he is still alive.

Also Read: Awarapan ending explained: Revisiting Emraan Hashmi’s 2007 film before Awarapan 2 arrives

Soon, things take an unexpected turn when he comes across an abandoned infant. Shivam takes the child to the orphanage where he grew up and names her Aliyah. He quietly becomes involved in her life without allowing himself to get too close.

However, when the child is later adopted, Shivam discovers that she has disappeared and that it is connected to a much larger criminal operation. An Interpol officer reveals that the girl has been caught up in an international child-trafficking network.

From that moment, the man who once tried to leave violence behind is pulled back into the criminal world, and this time with a very different purpose. He travels to Bangkok and sets out to find the children who have been kidnapped as part of the trafficking racket.

His investigation takes him into the orbit of Zorawar, played by Puran Gabbi, a powerful gangster who has inherited a criminal empire but also wants to build one of his own. To get closer to the trafficking operation, Shivam finds a way into Zorawar's organisation and gradually earns his trust.

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Along the way, Hashmi's character also meets Zorawar's sister Zara (Disha Patani), who wants to distance herself and her family from the criminal world surrounding her.

While Shivam's investigation brings him closer to the truth about the kidnapped children, he also develops a connection with Zara.

The sequel consequently turns his search for redemption into a larger battle against an organised criminal network.

What follows is a dangerous game of trust and betrayal, and how far will Shivam go to save the young Aliyah and other children?

What works in the sequel

The best part about Awarapan 2 is, of course, Emraan Hashmi's performance. Shivam has always been a character defined by pain, and the actor understands that the sequel cannot simply repeat the rage of the original.

In the latest film, he doesn't play a larger-than-life action hero returning after 19 years, but a wounded man who is living with guilt while working on a new mission. A sense of exhaustion is clearly visible in his character.

Another good part about the film is the screenplay. The makers have kept a child as the centre of Shivam's journey instead of a new love story, revenge plot or another gangster assignment.

As everyone knows, music was always going to be one of the biggest challenges for Awarapan 2. The 2007 film's soundtrack became part of its identity, with Toh Phir Aao and Tera Mera Rishta remaining deeply associated with Shivam's pain.

The sequel wisely carries it forward through returning favourites and new compositions. The nostalgic songs work because they remind audiences of Shivam's emotional history.

Ve Junoon is among the more effective new songs, while the rest of the soundtrack does not leave quite the same lasting impression as the original album.

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Cast performances

Coming to the other cast members, Disha Patani's role has been given more importance than just being Shivam's love interest. The film gives Zara her own conflict and a good screen presence. Patani's performance is decent, although it doesn't leave a particularly strong impression. Some of her scenes feel dramatic.

As the son of a drug lord who kills his own father to take over the business, Puran Gabbi manages to make Zorawar unpredictable, although the character feels a little too exaggerated at times.

His presence is effective, but the film occasionally tells us more about his criminal power than it makes us feel it.

The supporting performance by Shabana Azmi brings gravitas to Nafisa and gives the character an authority that does not require exaggerated gestures. However, given Azmi's ability, Nafisa feels like a character who could have been explored much further.

Suvinder Vicky as JD and Vijayant Kohli as Mehmood also make an impression.

What doesn't work

Yes, as said earlier, the basic premise is promising, but the screenplay has several moments that feel too convenient, such as Shivam's sudden entry into Zorawar's gang because the film needs to quickly shift to a trafficking investigation.

The same problem appears in some of the revelations. The story wants to maintain suspense among the audience, but some developments feel as though they arrive because the screenplay needs the next twist.

Additionally, the film sometimes uses exposition to explain what should typically emerge through action and character.

For many, the original Awarapan was special because it felt intimate. The sequel retains that idea, but it is kept within a much larger crime thriller.

There is a bigger criminal network, more characters, more action, Bangkok locations, an international trafficking angle and so on, but bigger does not always mean more emotionally affecting.

Also Read: Awarapan 2 trailer out: Emraan Hashmi is back with pain, love and rage as Shivam

Awarapan 2 is clearly aware of the audience walking into the theatre carrying the nostalgia of the previous film, and the amulet, white pigeons, familiar music and references to Aliyah work for fans. But it also means every major emotional moment can be compared with what came before.

At last, the action is occasionally effective, but the strength of the film is the emotional consequence for Shivam.

Is Awarapan 2 worth watching

For Hashmi fans, Awarapan 2 is a fairly decent sequel. In fact, the makers have made a sincere attempt to continue a story that was once believed had already reached its ending.

Its biggest success is understanding that Shivam Pandit cannot simply be brought back for nostalgia. He needs another story, another purpose and another sacrifice, and Hashmi provides all three with a performance.

But it's the screenplay of the film that did not meet expectations, as too many developments arrive abruptly, and Awarapan 2 does not quite possess the raw emotional intimacy of the first film.

But perhaps that is the fair way to look at it because the sequel gives him another chapter. It is bigger, louder and more action-driven, but it still carries the same old wound.

Therefore, if you loved Shivam Pandit in 2007, Hashmi's return alone makes this worth a theatrical watch, but just don't walk in expecting the sequel to bring back the magic of the original.