Emraan Hashmi returns as Shivam, the gangster with a heart of gold. In the first film, the name Aaliyah belonged to his lover. In the sequel, he gives that name to an infant that’s been abandoned by the earlier Aaliyah’s graveside, which makes the infant look like a rebirth. The story unfolds with Shivam having to ensure that this new Aaliyah does not meet the fate of the older one. The screenplay is filled with clichés and you don’t take a minute of it seriously. But Emraan’s stylish performance and the gorgeous picture-postcard filmmaking keep you glued to the screen. That’s the basic storyline and the quick review. A longer analysis follows, and it may contain spoilers.
Early on in Nitin Kakkar’s Awarapan 2, Shivam, played by Emraan Hashmi, wonders, “Is bematlab ki zindagi ka koi to maqsad hoga!” If you recall the earlier film, his partner Aaliyah was killed, and Shivam himself has emerged from a near-death situation. And now, he is searching for purpose in a world where his only attachment is with the orphanage he grew up in. He finds a baby abandoned by Aaliyah’s grave. He deposits the child at the orphanage. At first, Shivam keeps his distance from the girl, who he names Aaliyah. But when she becomes a victim of human trafficking, Shivam gets the purpose he was looking for. There’s a nice unsaid touch that he may have seen this little girl as the older Aaliyah reborn, and by saving her he can atone for not being able to save the earlier Aaliyah. Shivam begins to work for an Interpol officer and ends up amidst the drug mafia in Bangkok.
What makes Awarapan 2 work is Emraan Hashmi in his zone and the stunning cinematography by Vishnu Rao. The scene where Shivam meets the Interpol officer is staged on a train carrying salt in the middle of a desert terrain. The writing tries to connect the visual elements with the drama by calling Shivam a “namak haraam”, and the explanation is way too convoluted – but I didn’t care. The film is filled with clichéd scenes and clichéd lines like “dard se puraana rishta hai mera”. But then, some movies are meant to be seen and not heard, unless you’re talking about the music. Every shot is staged and lit with some attention to artistry. The visual distraction really helps when you have scenes like the one where Shivam is caught by the enemy, and instead of shooting him dead, they bury him under a mound of salt. He does that Kill Bill trick where he pounds his fist from below and, later, proceeds to pound everyone in the vicinity.
The supporting actors help a lot. Disha Patani is mainly used to flaunt an impeccable wardrobe. She gets that scene where she walks away from Shivam and she turns to look at him but he is looking ahead, and then he turns to look at her just after she has stopped turning. It’s fun to see that this trope is alive and kicking in 2026. But as the villains, you get heavyweights like Shabana Azmi, Suvinder Vicky, and most unexpectedly, Barun Chanda, who was Satyajit Ray’s leading man in Seemabaddha. These veterans are delightful to watch. Shabana Azmi purrs her lines like a lioness who’s very pleased with herself. She’s been in the business for a long time and can’t easily be rattled. Seeing her in this dimension after the helplessness she displayed in Batwara 1947 is a real treat. Newcomer Puran Gabbi is also very interesting to watch as the chief villain. He looks like a college kid, and he acts as though he’s been pumped up with cocaine. His outsized energy contrasts nicely with Shivam’s brooding nature.
The story keeps moving well enough for something you are not supposed to take too seriously. The identity of a mole in the gang turns out to be a solid surprise. The scene where the Suvinder Vicky character is put through a terrible test of friendship is very good. And the way the Shabana Azmi character keeps weaving in and out of the plot is interestingly done. About the earlier, better Awarapan, I wrote, “Sex, love, jealousy, infidelity, guilt, betrayal, redemption, and, most importantly, brooding male angst… director Mohit Suri touches on every prickly emotion that Mahesh Bhatt made his own, but where he makes his mentor proud is by grounding all of this in an utterly unexpected religious context.” There’s no such depth in this sequel, but there are small pleasures to be had in rewatching that type of movie in today’s times. Awarapan 2 functions like its own highlights package. No tears are going to be shed. But the film gets the job done as a slick drama that’s a balm for the eyes.
