While everyone in the trade is talking about the clash tomorrow — of Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 and Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 — few would remember that when Awarapan had hit the screens in 2007, it had also clashed with a Sunny Deol starrer — Apne.
In fact, there were three films that had released in the last week of June 2007 — on 29th June, 2007. Besides Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby Deol starrer Apne and Emraan’s Awarapan, actor Himesh Reshammiya’s debut film, Aap Kaa Surroor, had also released on the same day.
In that week, Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan had taken the poorest opening. Aap Kaa Surroor had opened the best with Apne being a close second. But the tables have turned this time. The initial of Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 is far bigger than that of Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 today.
Incidentally, all through the making of Awarapan 2, while the trade had wondered why Vishesh Bhatt was producing a sequel to a flop film (Awarapan had not done well at the ticket windows), Mukesh Bhatt’s son stood his ground because he felt, it was Awarapan which lent itself to another film in the franchise. It would not be out of place to mention here that there were many who had actually felt that Vishesh Bhatt should’ve been producing Jannat 2 instead of Awarapan 2. Now, with the good opening Awarapan 2 is expected to get tomorrow (Friday, August 14), Vishesh Bhatt must be having the last laugh.
Rightly has it been said, there is nothing permanent in this industry! The last in the race in 2007 can be the first in the race in 2026.