Revisiting Emraan Hashmi as Shivam, Shriya Saran as Aliyah and their tragic love story ahead of ‘Awarapan 2’ release on August 14
‘Awarapan’, starring Emraan Hashmi and Shriya Saran in the lead, was an intense romantic musical that immortalised the characters Shivam and Aliyah. Directed by Mohit Suri, best known for his deeply emotional romantic dramas, the film gave Bollywood one of its most memorable love stories. Despite being declared a commercial failure at the box office, ‘Awarapan’ went on to become a cult favourite over the years. On popular demand, Vishesh Films is now bringing its sequel to theatres this Independence Day weekend, with ‘Awarapan 2’ releasing on August 14. Disha Patani plays the female lead in the Nitin Kakkar directorial.
Shivam and Aliyah’s doomed love story
Awarapan follows the story of Shivam, played by Emraan Hashmi, an atheist gangster working for Bharat Malik, played by Ashutosh Rana, a powerful businessman and crime boss in Hong Kong. Shivam is deeply affected by the death of his beloved, Aliyah, essayed by Shriya Saran, a devout Muslim whose family strongly opposed their relationship. Despite the odds, Shivam and Aliyah fall deeply in love, and Shivam promises his father he will leave his gangster life behind to start afresh with her. However, when Aliyah’s father attempts to shoot Shivam, the bullet strikes Aliyah instead, killing her and leaving Shivam consumed by grief and guilt.
Shivam’s redemption through Reema and Bilal
Some time later, still unable to move past the tragedy, Shivam finds himself reminded of his incomplete love story through Reema, played by Mrinalini Sharma, Malik’s mistress, who is secretly in love with a man named Bilal. When Malik senses betrayal, he asks Shivam, whom he treats like a son, to monitor Reema’s whereabouts. Initially loyal, Shivam informs Malik about the relationship, prompting Malik to order both Reema and Bilal killed. However, when Shivam confronts Reema, her situation mirrors his own unfulfilled love story with Aliyah, and for the first time, he disobeys Malik, choosing to let her live her life with the man she loves.
Betrayal, sacrifice and Shivam’s tragic end in ‘Awarapan’
Malik soon becomes aware of Shivam’s betrayal. As Shivam attempts to flee Hong Kong with his best friend Kabir, played by Shaad Randhawa, Kabir initially deceives him by revealing his escape plan to Malik, though he later regrets the betrayal and helps Shivam risk his life to save Reema and Bilal. Amid mounting danger, Malik’s biological son Ronnie tortures Shivam in an attempt to force him into killing Reema, but Shivam escapes and takes shelter at a monastery. After learning of Malik’s plan to “sell” Reema, Shivam undergoes a change of heart, ultimately killing Malik to rescue her. As Kabir sacrifices his life fighting off Ronnie and Malik’s gang to allow Reema and Bilal to escape safely to Lahore, Shivam stays behind to fight the remaining attackers. Though he defeats them, he is fatally injured and dies thinking of Aliyah, setting up the mystery that ‘Awarapan 2’ is expected to unravel, exploring what truly happened to Shivam after the events of the first film.
More about ‘Awarapan 2’
‘Awarapan 2’ sees Emraan Hashmi reprising his role as Shivam Pandit, marking his much-anticipated return to one of his most iconic characters nearly two decades after the original’s release. Besides Emraan and Disha Patani, who plays a new character named Zara, the film also stars Shabana Azmi and Suvinder Vicky in significant roles. Directed by Nitin Kakkar, with the story penned by Bilal Siddiqui, the sequel’s music features contributions from Amaal Mallik and Mithoon, including tracks like ‘Ve Junoon’ and ‘Yeh Awarapan’. The film releases globally on the eve of Independence Day 2026, clashing at the box office with Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta starrer Partition drama, ‘Batwara 1947’.
