For the past few years, Emraan Hashmi’s films have been coming and going without anyone even noticing. Naturally, both Emraan and his fans felt a sense of relief when *Awarapan 2* was announced. However, neither Emraan nor the filmmakers undertook any significant promotion or offered a compelling glimpse of the film through its trailer. Despite the immense excitement—which actually led to impressive advance booking numbers—things took a turn for the worse...

The very thing that was feared came to pass. The filmmakers failed to grasp that the 2007 release *Awarapan* achieved cult status for reasons beyond just its title or songs. That film had a solid story; every character had their own space. It wasn't unnecessarily dragged out, and even today, not a single scene feels boring. Whether due to Mohit Suri’s direction or Shagufta Rafiq’s storytelling, the original *Awarapan* was vastly superior to this sequel. So, where exactly did *Awarapan 2* go wrong?

**Story**

The story picks up with Shivam Pandit (Emraan Hashmi), who survived after being shot six times in Bangkok. Upon returning to India, he lives in hiding. One day, he finds a child in a graveyard and leaves her at an orphanage, naming her Aaliya.
Later, a couple adopts the child. It is subsequently revealed that the couple was part of a human trafficking racket and was killed after selling Aaliya. Shivam then travels to Bangkok to rescue her, aided by an Interpol officer.
Upon reaching Bangkok, Shivam infiltrates Zorawar’s (Puran Gabbi) gang to search for Aaliya. Zorawar is engaged in a gang war with Nafisa (Shabana Azmi), and amidst this conflict, Shivam falls in love with Zorawar’s sister, Zara (Disha Patani).
Does Shivam manage to find and rescue Aaliya? That forms the crux of the film's story. 

Acting

The film rests entirely on Emraan's shoulders and his character. He seems fine before the interval, but post-interval, he is mostly just getting beaten up. Emraan's character is portrayed as helpless; the spirited energy seen in the first part appears in only one or two scenes here. He looked much better in the first installment. Emraan himself seems to have lost his old charm; he appears weary throughout the film.
Disha Patani has once again been cast merely for the sake of it. She has barely twenty lines of dialogue in the entire movie. Yet, she comes across better precisely because she speaks so little.
Shabana Azmi has been shortchanged regarding screen time. The trailer introduced her as such a menacing villain that one expected something exciting, but she is given only five or six scenes in the entire film.
Pooran Gabbi, playing the main villain Zorawar, acts like a psycho throughout the movie. The previous film also featured a drug-addicted psycho named Munna—brilliantly portrayed by Purab Kohli—but Pooran’s performance here is a complete letdown. He neither inspires fear nor comes across as a convincing villain. Barring one or two moments, his scenes feel childish. Honestly, you will miss a powerful villain like Ashutosh Rana in this film.
Among the supporting cast, Suvinder Vicky and Vijayant Kohli deliver decent performances.

Direction

It is surprising that three people couldn't come up with a good script for this sequel. Furthermore, director Nitin Kakkar fails to bring anything substantial to the table. There is a constant attempt to remind the audience of the previous film.
Attempts are made to build atmosphere through background music. By including cameos from Shriya Saran and Saahil Randhawa, the director merely tries to cash in on the nostalgia of the original movie. He fails to deliver a story or a climax that matches the quality of the first part.

The film lacks any real purpose; things just drift along aimlessly. The film starts off promisingly but begins to drag well before the interval. Frequent songs and emotional scenes slow down the pace and make the movie tedious.

The second half lacks momentum as well, featuring a rather childish climax. The villain, despite running a massive empire, spends his entire time playing life-or-death games.

Music

Hearing familiar lyrics offers a moment of relief, but the soundtrack isn't as memorable as the original film's. Apart from "Ve Junoon," no song really stands out.

Watch or Not?

This film is a letdown compared to the cult classic *Awarapan*, which is likely the reason you would go to see it. It is merely an attempt to cash in on that title with a sequel. In reality, even sitting through the two-hour runtime is a struggle. However, if you are a fan of Emraan and the first film, you might still want to give it a watch.

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