Awarapan 3 in the Works? Bilal Siddiqui’s Big Revelation Sparks Hope for Emraan Hashmi Fans

Awarapan 3 in the Works, that’s the phrase that’s been sitting in my notifications for two straight days, and honestly, I don’t think I’ve refreshed Twitter (yes, I still call it that) this much since Cocktail 2 dropped its ending.  

I sat through the Awarapan 2 premiere in Mumbai just like thousands of other fans, and by the time the credits rolled, I already knew this piece was coming.  

Because within hours, my colleague’s Awarapan 2 breakdown had traffic spiking from a single, very specific search term is Awarapan 3 confirmed. So, I did what I do best, I dug through every interview, every screening clip, every producer statement, and I’m laying it all out here, first person, no fluff, exactly the way I’d explain it to a friend over chai. 

If you clicked on this because you’re desperately Googling “Awarapan 3 release date” or “Bilal Siddiqui Awarapan 3,” you’re in exactly the right place.

I’m going to walk you through what was actually said, who said it, what it means for the franchise, and, just as importantly, what is still speculation dressed up as news. Because that distinction matters a lot right now. 

Why Everyone’s Suddenly Talking About Awarapan 3 in the Works 

Let’s rewind. Awarapan 2 released in Indian theatres on August 14, 2026, riding a wave of nostalgia nearly two decades in the making. The 2007 original starring Emraan Hashmi as gangster Shivam Pandit had bombed at the box office but quietly built a cult following over the years, the kind of film people rewatch at 2 AM and then can’t stop humming “Tera Mera Rishta” for a week.  

So when Awarapan 2 was announced, expectations were sky-high, and going by the numbers, the film has more than delivered.

It’s in this exact momentum that the words “Awarapan 3 in the works” started doing the rounds, and it all traces back to two people: writer Bilal Siddiqui and star Emraan Hashmi himself. 

I want to be upfront about something before I go further, Awarapan 3 in the works is currently fan interpretation built on real, on-record comments, not an official studio announcement. I’ll flag exactly where the line sits as we go. 

What Did Bilal Siddiqui Actually Reveal? 

This is the part everyone’s asking about, so let’s get into it properly. Bilal Siddiqui, who co-wrote Awarapan 2 alongside director Nitin Kakkar and producer Vishesh Bhatt, has spoken multiple times about how the sequel came together, and buried in those interviews are the seeds of what’s now being read as an Awarapan 3 in the works signal. 

Speaking to Variety India ahead of release, Siddiqui explained that the writing team’s real challenge wasn’t inventing a new plot, it was protecting the emotional DNA of the original. 

 He said the team spent months trying to understand exactly what made the 2007 Awarapan connect so deeply with audiences in the first place, before even attempting to write a single scene of the follow-up. That’s a telling detail, because it shows Awarapan was never meant to be a one-and-done revival, it was built as the start of something bigger. 

Here’s the line from Siddiqui that fans have latched onto the hardest: he described Shivam Pandit’s story as unfinished, noting that despite everything the character has been through, “life isn’t done with him” and he still has “one more fight left in him.” Read that again.  

That’s not a throwaway comment, that’s a writer explicitly leaving the door open for a third chapter, which is exactly why the phrase Awarapan 3 in the works has exploded online this week. 

There’s also the manifestation angle, which I genuinely think is one of the more heartwarming subplots of this whole story.

Back in 2017, nearly nine years before he was hired to write Awarapan 2, Siddiqui posted on social media calling the original Awarapan his favourite Emraan Hashmi film.  

When he was officially signed on for the sequel, he reshared that exact post.

A writer who publicly revealed they were working on Awarapan 2, talking about Shivam having “one more fight left,” is precisely the kind of detail that turns casual hope into genuine speculation that Awarapan 3 is in the works. 

Emraan Hashmi’s Own Comments Add Fuel to the Fire 

If Siddiqui planted the seed, Emraan Hashmi watered it in front of a live audience. During a special screening of Awarapan 2 in Mumbai, Hashmi and co-star Disha Patani showed up mid-interval to meet fans, something that already tells you how confident the team was feeling about the film’s reception.  

While addressing the crowd, Hashmi said the franchise belongs to the fans more than it belongs to the makers, and that this connection is exactly why they returned with a new chapter after nineteen years. 

Then came the line that’s now everywhere: “Hopefully, Awarapan 3 very soon.” Four words, said almost casually, in the middle of a fan interaction, and yet they’ve become the single biggest piece of evidence behind every Awarapan 3 in the works headline this week, including this one. 

I want to be really honest with you here, because I think a lot of entertainment coverage right now is stretching this further than it should. Hashmi’s comment is a hope, not a confirmation. He didn’t say a script is being written.  

He didn’t say a release date exists. He said “hopefully,” which is exactly the kind of word actors use when they genuinely want something to happen but know it isn’t their decision to make.

So while Awarapan 3 in the works is the phrase capturing the mood right now, the honest answer to “is Awarapan 3 confirmed” is: not yet, not officially. 

Awarapan 2 Box Office: Does the Response Actually Support a Threequel? 

Here’s where the numbers matter more than anyone’s quotes. Studios don’t greenlight sequels on sentiment alone, they greenlight them on box office math. And Awarapan 2’s opening numbers give the Awarapan 3 in the works conversation real, data-backed legs. 

According to trade reports, Awarapan 2 opened to a strong response over its Independence Day weekend and reportedly surpassed the entire lifetime theatrical earnings of the 2007 original before release, purely on the strength of advance bookings. The film did see a reported 20% dip on its second Sunday, which is a fairly normal pattern for word-of-mouth dramas rather than a red flag, especially against a controlled production budget. 

Put simply: a film that’s already out-earned its predecessor’s full theatrical run within days, on a tight budget, is exactly the kind of performance that gets a franchise extended.

If Awarapan 2 legs it out well over its full run, I’d bet Vishesh Films moves on Awarapan 3 faster than anyone currently expects — and that’s the commercial reality sitting underneath all the Awarapan 3 in the works chatter. 

Is Awarapan 3 Officially Confirmed? Here’s the Honest Answer 

I get asked variations of this question constantly, so let me answer it as plainly as I can: no, Awarapan 3 has not been officially confirmed by Vishesh Films, Emraan Hashmi, or writer Bilal Siddiqui as of this article. What exists right now is: 

• A writer (Siddiqui) who has publicly described the lead character’s arc as unfinished 

• A lead actor (Hashmi) who has publicly said he hopes a third film happens soon 

• A sequel (Awarapan 2) performing strongly enough at the box office to justify a franchise decision 

• No script, no director attachment, no cast announcement, and no release window 

That’s the real, unvarnished status of Awarapan 3 in the works as of today. Trade insiders and fan pages are treating it as a near-certainty, and I understand why, the emotional and commercial signals genuinely line up.  

But until Vishesh Bhatt or Mukesh Bhatt’s banner makes a formal statement, this stays firmly in “highly likely, not yet official” territory. I’d rather tell you that honestly than string you along with clickbait certainty. 

Awarapan 3 Release Date: What We Can Realistically Expect 

Since there’s no official announcement yet, there’s obviously no confirmed Awarapan 3 release date either, but I can give you a realistic timeline based on how this franchise has actually moved. 

Awarapan 2 itself took roughly a year and a half from official announcement (March 2025) to release (August 2026), with pre-production starting in April 2025 and filming wrapping in June 2026. Screenwriting alone reportedly went through nearly two years of revisions before the script was locked. 

 If Vishesh Films decides to move on Awarapan 3, and if they follow a similar production timeline, a realistic release window would land somewhere in 2028, assuming an official greenlight comes sometime in late 2026 or early 2027 once Awarapan 2’s full theatrical run and post-theatrical numbers are in. 

That’s an estimate based on pattern, not a leaked date — so please don’t take “2028” as gospel. I’ll update this piece the moment anything official drops. 

Cast Speculation: Who Could Return for Awarapan 3? 

This is the fun part, and I promise I’ll keep the speculation clearly labeled as speculation. 

• Emraan Hashmi as Shivam Pandit feels like a near-certainty if Awarapan 3 moves forward, the entire franchise is built around his arc, and both his own comments and Siddiqui’s “one more fight left in him” line point directly at Shivam returning. 

• Disha Patani, who plays a central role in Awarapan 2, would logically continue if her character’s arc extends into a third film, though nothing has been indicated either way yet. 

• Shabana Azmi, who joined the cast for Awarapan 2, is another open question — her involvement would depend entirely on where the writers take the story next. 

• Director Nitin Kakkar would be the natural choice to continue, having already established the tone and visual language of this second chapter, though original director Mohit Suri’s name inevitably comes up in every fan discussion given his history with the franchise. 

None of this is confirmed casting, it’s pattern-based speculation, and I’ll flag it that way until Vishesh Films says otherwise. 

What Could the Story of Awarapan 3 Actually Be About? 

Awarapan 2 closes out Shivam Pandit’s arc around grief, a rescued child, and a child-trafficking network loosely inspired by real cross-border trafficking operations that Interpol has documented in recent years.  

If Siddiqui’s comment about Shivam having “one more fight left in him” is anything to go by, Awarapan 3 would likely continue exploring redemption through a new, unresolved thread rather than simply repeating the rescue-mission structure. 

Given how carefully the writing team has protected the franchise’s emotional core, angst, redemption, action, love, and devotion, as Siddiqui himself described it, I’d expect Awarapan 3 to lean into whatever emotional loose end Awarapan 2 leaves dangling for Shivam, rather than introducing a completely unconnected plot. But again, this is my read of the pattern, not confirmed information. 

My Honest Take on Awarapan 3 in the Works 

Here’s where I’ll step out of pure reporting mode for a second. I’ve followed this franchise since Awarapan first became a word-of-mouth favourite years after its flop theatrical run, and I think the Awarapan 3 in the works buzz is one of the more deserved cases of fan optimism I’ve seen in a while.  

Unlike a lot of “sequel teased” headlines that are built on a single vague Instagram story, this one has a writer on record calling the protagonist’s journey unfinished, and a lead actor publicly hoping for a continuation, backed by genuinely strong box office numbers. That’s about as solid a foundation for a future announcement as unofficial buzz gets. 

My honest prediction: I think Vishesh Films makes some kind of formal move on Awarapan 3 within the next six to twelve months, most likely once Awarapan 2 finishes its full theatrical and streaming run and the final numbers are locked in. Until then, treat every “confirmed” headline you see, including overly confident versions of this one, with a healthy dose of caution. 

Conclusion: Should You Get Your Hopes Up? 

So, is Awarapan 3 in the works? Based on everything Bilal Siddiqui and Emraan Hashmi have said on record, plus Awarapan 2’s strong box office performance, the honest answer is: it’s genuinely likely, but not yet official.  

The emotional groundwork has clearly been laid, a writer who won’t call Shivam’s story finished, an actor openly hoping for a comeback, and numbers strong enough to justify the studio’s confidence. What’s missing is the one thing that actually matters: a formal announcement from Vishesh Films. 

I’ll be tracking this story closely and updating this piece the second anything concrete drops, a script confirmation, a director attachment, or an official date. Until then, if you haven’t caught Awarapan 2 yet, my colleague’s full breakdown of the sequel is a good place to start, and if you want to catch up on the wider Emraan Hashmi universe, our Bollywood News section and Upcoming Movies hub are both updated the moment new details surface. For more sequel breakdowns like this one, check out our Cocktail 2 review and browse our full Movie Reviews section for everything else worth watching this month. 

What do you think, is Shivam Pandit’s story really not over yet? Drop your thoughts in the comments, I read every one of them. 

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