Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 14: The Independence Day weekend has brought a major box-office clash for cinema lovers, with Emraan Hashmi-starrer ‘Awarapan 2’ and Sunny Deol’s ‘Batwara 1947’ releasing in theatres on Friday.

Directed by Nitin Kakkar, ‘Awarapan 2’ is the much-awaited sequel to the 2007 film ‘Awarapan’. The film continues the story of Emraan Hashmi’s character Shivam Pandit, whose fate was left uncertain after he was shot multiple times at the end of the original film.

Meanwhile, ‘Batwara 1947’, starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, is set against the backdrop of Partition. The film explores themes of displacement, identity and survival through the story of a Mohajir family that moves to Lahore after Partition and settles in an abandoned Hindu home.

According to trade tracker Sacnilk, ‘Batwara 1947’ had collected Rs 0.43 crore from 2,462 shows at the time of reporting. The film’s gross collection stood at Rs 0.51 crore, while its net collection in India was Rs 0.43 crore. The final Day 1 figures are awaited.

Ahead of the release, Preity Zinta shared a black-and-white picture from her look test for the film. She plays the character of Hamida in the Sunny Deol-starrer and reflected on her character and the journey leading up to the film’s release.

‘Awarapan 2’ has received a U/A 16+ certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after nine changes were ordered. ‘Batwara 1947’, meanwhile, has received an Adults-Only (A) certificate.

‘Awarapan 2’ is also set to arrive on Prime Video after completing its theatrical run. Although the OTT platform has been announced, the official streaming date is yet to be revealed.

With both films arriving during the Independence Day weekend, their box-office performance and audience response are expected to be closely watched in the coming days.