Released in 2007, ‘Awarapan’ achieved cult status soon after its release, and its music played a major role in its appeal. Songs like ‘To Phir Aao’ and ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ became inseparable from the film’s identity. Now, ‘To Phir Aao’ will be back as the theme song of the sequel, ‘Awarapan 2’ with Amaal Mallik intervening to compose and sing the new version. The move has drawn backlash from Mustapha Zahid, the Pakistani singer who lent his voice to the original soundtrack.
Amaal Mallik calls the new track his career best
On Tuesday, Amaal took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that he had composed the theme song for ‘Awarapan 2’, describing it as the best of his career. “The #SoulOfAwarapan is what I have always called it until #MukeshBhatt sir gave it a name… I can’t thank you enough for giving me my first Vishesh film, a dream of mine since I was 16. Today is the day I get to live a 20-year-old dream of mine thanks to Mukesh Ji and @VisheshFilms. I have created the best song of my career for this film – the ‘Title Song’ of #Awarapan2 written by legendary poet #RashmiVirag.“
Amaal Mallik credits Mustapha Zahid with the original magic
In a later tweet, the singer-songwriter also credited Mustapha Zahid, who had lent his voice to two tracks from the original ‘Awarapan’ – ‘To Phir Aao’ and ‘Tera Mera Rishta’. “Also a big hug to the man we must never forget, the voice of the original #MustafaZahid and his contribution to the 2007 soundtrack – my friend, my brother from another mother and a dangerous frontier @Mustafology. We would never have been doing this if you hadn’t made the magic of the original my brother. Thank you for the great tunes, flawless vocals and that void of your playing still haunts and heals me,” Amaal wrote.
Mustapha Zahid’s honest answer
Mustapha responded later that night, retweeting Amaal’s tweet with the message: “Lots of love Amaal, remember borders are dangerous but so is love. Take Awarapan’s legacy to another level, the stage is all yours Mere Bhai.”
Mustapha Zahid’s original franchise is gearing up for a sequel
The 19th anniversary of the original film was celebrated last week, and it was on this occasion that the teaser of ‘Awarapan 2’ was released. Emraan Hashmi returns to reprise his role as Shivam, the hitman with a heart of gold, with Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi joining the cast along with Suvinder Vicky, Vijayant Kholi and Atul Kumar. Directed by Nitin Kakkar, written by Bilal Siddiqui and produced by Vishesh Bhatt, the film is slated to hit theaters on August 14.
About the original ‘Awarapan’
Mohit Suri directed the original ‘Awarapan’ which featured Shriya Saran, Mrinalini Sharma, Ashutosh Rana, Purab Kohli, Ashish Vidyarthi and Shaad Randhawa alongside Emraan. Although it failed to make a mark at the box office upon release, the film went on to build a devoted cult following over time.