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EXCLUSIVE: Shriya Saran reveals how Awarapan was important for Emraan Hashmi, calls Mohit Suri ‘intense’ filmmaker: "I was very disheartened…"
In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Shriya Saran recalled her experience of working with Emraan Hashmi and Mohit Suri in the 2007 cult classic, Awarapan.
Awarapan 2 is about to release in cinemas this weekend. Shriya Saran, who was a crucial part of the OG Awarapan, exclusively sat with Pinkvilla and reflected on her experience of working with Emraan Hashmi and director Mohit Suri. The actress revealed that she had met Suri earlier for another film, but it didn’t materialise. Further, she shared how its box office fate left her disheartened.
Calling Mohit Suri an ‘intense’ filmmaker, Shriya Saran highlighted how Awarapan was an important film for Emraan Hashmi. She said, “Emraan ke liye wo film bahut important thi. He always loved this film, this story. For me, I enjoyed doing this film because Mohit Suri is a very intense director to work with. Jab wo scene sunaate hain, samjhate hain, aur jis tarah se wo narrate karte hain, it's very intense. He really brings your soul out. He is very talented. I’m so happy for him. Like unki movies hamesha se achha kar rahi hain, but right now, he is flying. In all his films, you will see the same kind of intensity, either in the scenes, in the eyes of the actors, or in the visuals.”
(That film was very important for Emraan. He always loved this film, this story. For me, I enjoyed doing this film because Mohit Suri is a very intense director to work with. When you hear the scene, understand it, and the way he narrates it, it's very intense. He really brings your soul out. He is very talented. I'm so happy for him. Like his movies have always been good, but right now, he is flying. In all his films, you will see the same kind of intensity, either in the scenes, in the eyes of the actors, or in the visuals.)
The Emraan Hashmi starrer was a box office debacle. Recalling its fate at the ticket window, Shriya Saran said, “I think it was ahead of its time. In fact, kayi jagah mai nominate bhi hui thi, but mujhe kahi bulaya bhi nhi gaya tha. Awarapan is a movie which I felt would be celebrated; people would love it. So, something like that happened; you kind of feel very disheartened. I was very disheartened after Awarapan. I thought this was supposed to be loved. And people kept telling me, 'We love the movie, we love the movie,' I was like, okay, but why is it not translating into numbers?”
She further added, “For the longest time, I thought maybe they were the songs they loved, because the songs were amazing and Emraan was amazing, but now I feel that people loved the story; they kind of felt it. It’s a very intense story, so people really felt it. Otherwise, abhi tak jo itna pyaar mil raha hai, it wouldn’t be like that.”
For the unversed, Shriya played Aaliyah Hamid in the 2007 release Awarapan. It was her tragic demise that became a source of guilt for her lover, Shivam Pandit, who went on to become a gangster later on. The sequel is releasing in cinemas this Independence Day weekend. Though the original film was a flop, Awarapan 2 is likely to be a big success, as its advance booking suggests so far.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
