Emraan Hashmi is back as Shivam. Nearly two decades after Awarapan became a cult favourite, the actor has begun shooting for its much-awaited sequel, Awarapan 2.

The film, directed by Nitin Kakkar and written by Bilal Siddiqui, is being produced by Vishesh Bhatt under Vishesh Films banner. The first shooting schedule is currently underway in Bangkok, with the mahurat puja held on Monday.

On September 29, Hashmi, Vishesh and others shared a joint post announcing the commencement of the project. The film is scheduled to release on April 3, 2026. “Tera Mera Rishta Purana bro,” the caption said.

Hashmi had first announced the sequel in March. In a teaser video, his character was seen travelling by boat at sunset, releasing pigeons from a cage, in a throwback to a scene from the original film. The background score featured the song Tera Mera Rishta from the 2007 film.

Directed by Mohit Suri, the original Awarapan also starred Shriya Saran, Mrinalini Sharma and Ashish Vidyarthi. Produced by Mukesh Bhatt, the film was a commercial failure on release but went on to gain cult status.

Hashmi was last seen in the Telugu film They Call Him OG, co-starring Pawan Kalyan, where he played the antagonist.