The box office results of Awarapan failed to meet expectations during its theatrical release yet the film developed a dedicated following through the years which established its cult status because of its memorable soundtrack and emotional plot and its outstanding dramatic and action sequences and Emraan Hashmi's performance in a groundbreaking role.

The trade and industry show complete confidence in Awarapan 2 because of its successful progress. Last week some of the biggest distributors in the Hindi film industry were seen at the Vishesh Films office keen to acquire the film’s all-India theatrical rights.

A trade source told, “You name it and that distributor was seen at the Vishesh Films office last week be it Zee Studios Anil Thadani’s AA Films, Pen Marudhar, Jio Studios, Star Studio18, Cinepolis etc. That’s not all Dharma Productions which now has its own distribution arm also met Mukesh Bhatt. Lastly Ananya Birla’s Birla Studios plans to not only produce but also distribute films in the future. Their representative also dropped by.”

An industry insider commented, “Ek zamaane mein hota tha that distributors would make a beeline and fiercely try to outdo each other to acquire the rights of a promising film. This episode reminded me of those days. It clearly shows that Awarapan 2 will be a film to watch out for. The first part has tremendous recall value and memes are already being shared online about how fans are waiting to see the second part. As they say in our line picture ekdum garam hai.”

The trade source further said, “Mukesh Bhatt is quite overwhelmed by the response. He met all the distributors warmly and he and his team are analysing the offers and are expected to make a decision soon. Once that is done the makers will announce the name of the distributor who won the competitive bid.”

The first part of Awarapan featured Emraan as its main actor together with Shriya Saran Mrinalini Sharma Ashutosh Rana Ashish Vidyarthi Shaad Randhawa Salil Acharya Purab Kohli and the deceased Atul Parchure. Pritam Chakraborty created the timeless music tracks for the love story which Mohit Suri directed.

Nitin Kakkar who directed Awarapan 2 also made the films Filmistaan and Notebook. Emraan now stars with Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi. The movie will open in theaters on August 14.