Awarapan 2: Here's why Mohit Suri did not return to direct sequel | Exclusive
Producer Vishesh Bhatt reveals why Mohit Suri did not return to direct Awarapan 2. He said the film continues Shivam's story while widening the franchise through new music, cast and voices.
by Bhavna Agarwal · India TodayIn Short
- Emraan Hashmi needed focused preparation to return to Shivam’s restrained inner world
- Mithoon returns, while Amaal and newer voices broaden the sequel’s soundtrack
- Disha Patani joins the cast as makers widen the franchise’s creative canvas
Nineteen years after Awarapan, the franchise returns with Awarapan 2, directed by Nitin Kakkar. But Mohit Suri, who directed the 2007 original starring Emraan Hashmi, has not returned to direct the sequel. According to producer Vishesh Bhatt, however, the decision was not about replacing Suri but about allowing the story to evolve organically.
“I was part of Jannat 1, and very quickly Jannat 2 was being made. I had given my heart and soul to it, so I said, ‘I don’t want to.’ I was part of other films in the producing capacity, but I was not up for doing it again,” Bhatt explained. He said the same thing happened with Awarapan 2. “So, it just came out organically. I think the timing was an important part of that,” he said, clarifying that there was no major creative disagreement with Suri.
“One, he was doing another film. Second, it’s not that there was a burning story that he discussed with me and I said, ‘Not this.’ That didn’t happen. He wasn’t thinking, and I was already cooking this for a while,” Bhatt added.
Emraan Hashmi’s return was another important part of shaping the sequel. Bhatt said getting Hashmi into the mindset of Shivam required considerable preparation, given the character’s restrained nature.
“Once he wrapped Tiger 3, I said, ‘Now you put your focus,’ because getting into Shivam—and even he knew—Shivam takes a lot of his energy. It takes a lot of an actor’s energy to grip because it’s a character that talks through his silences,” he explained.
The makers also wanted Awarapan 2 to expand the franchise’s musical universe rather than simply recreate the first film’s sound. That meant bringing together familiar collaborators and newer voices. “In some parts, me and Emraan discussed it. I said, ‘This is there, but in some parts, let’s have newer people interpret the material also. I think Mithoon’s interpretation of the songs is beautiful,” Bhatt said.
Mithoon, who was associated with the original film, returns for the sequel, while newer collaborators have also been brought on board. “And it’s Mithoon, so it’s like—it’s an experienced hand doing it also. And the same way, on the newer songs where Amaal did it, the title track is done like that,” he added.
For Bhatt, the mix of established and newer talent has helped expand the Awarapan universe. “I feel that what that’s done is, it’s made the universe larger,” he noted. That expansion also extends to the cast, with Disha Patani among the new additions. “We like introducing people also. So, wherever we got a chance, we did it,” Bhatt said.
The film also continues the makers’ association with Arijit Singh while introducing newer voices to the album. The idea, Bhatt said, was to retain collaborators they trust while introducing “more shades” to the creative canvas. More importantly, the makers want audiences to understand that Awarapan 2 is not a conventional spiritual successor, but a continuation of the original’s story.
Bhatt said he deliberately addressed this in an Instagram post when the teaser was released on the 19th anniversary of Awarapan. “To let people understand the perspective that this is not a spiritual successor. This is a continued story,” he said. “The whole family of Awarapan has become larger,” he added.
The idea for continuing the story began taking shape around the pandemic, when Bhatt found himself wanting to make something emotional and music-driven. Initially, the story he was developing would have been a spiritual successor to Awarapan, but he eventually began questioning that approach.
“I felt that I wanted to go with a story or make a film which is emotional, with great music. And then, when I was looking into the kind of emotions that I wanted to work with, the character I was building out would have been a spiritual successor to Awarapan,” he recalled.
“And then I was like, ‘But what if it’s not a spiritual successor? What if I talk to Shivam?’ And that made it very interesting for me to see as an Awarapan fan,” he explained. At the same time, Bhatt wanted the sequel to stand on its own, even for those who have not seen the original.
“Without even that, there was a story that needs to be told, which someone who’s not a fan of Awarapan also finds interesting,” he stressed.
Awarapan 2 is now in theatres.
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