Trade analyst Girish Johar has weighed in on the box-office battle between Emraan Hashmi-starrer Awarapan 2 and Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947, saying the former is currently leading by a considerable margin.
“Awarapan is leading miles ahead than Batwara as of now,” Johar said while discussing the opening prospects of the two films.
According to the trade analyst, Awarapan 2 is currently looking at an opening in the range of ₹13–15 crore-plus, while Batwara 1947 is tracking at roughly half that figure.
“Half of it,” Johar said when asked where Batwara 1947 was positioned compared with Awarapan 2. He indicated that the Sunny Deol-starrer could be in the ₹6–8 crore range at present.
However, Johar believes Batwara 1947 could benefit significantly from audience word of mouth. “Six-seven abhi tak. Woh word-of-mouth wali film hogi, toh shaam ko, raat ko pata chalega,” he said.
On the opening-day comparison, Johar was emphatic: “Opening-wise, Awarapan is much ahead.”
Explaining the reason behind Awarapan 2’s stronger initial momentum, Johar pointed to the trailer’s ability to excite audiences as well as the film’s presentation of Emraan Hashmi.
“I think the trailer could excite the audience very much,” he said. Johar also noted the impact of the lead actor’s image and positioning in the film.
At the same time, Johar believes Batwara 1947 has factors that could work in its favour after release. The film is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and backed by Aamir Khan, which could help it generate strong reviews and word of mouth.
“But everyone knows that it is a Rajkumar Santoshi film backed by Aamir Khan, so probably good reviews and word of mouth can change the tables on Friday evening,” Johar said.
For now, though, the opening race is firmly tilted in favour of Awarapan 2, with Batwara 1947 relying on reviews and audience response to close the gap.