Page 40 - The Indian EYE 090426

EYE ON BOLLYWOOD SEPTEMBER 04, 2026 | The Indian Eye 40

Toxic and Awarapan 2:

Two very different stars, one

remarkable comeback

The success of Yash’s ‘Toxic’ and Emraan Hashmi’s ‘Awarapan 2’ tells two very different stories

about stardom, fandom and the enduring power of an audience connection.

OUR BUREAU ing and kept believing that all the
hard work would pay off someday.”
Mumbai / Bengaluru
There is an important distinction
ndian cinema has always had between the two stars. Yash’s current
different definitions of stardom. success is built largely on momen-
ISome stars build their careers on tum. His audience expects scale, ac-
scale, spectacle and mass adulation, tion and a larger-than-life cinematic
while others establish a more inti- experience. Hashmi’s comeback is
mate connection with audiences that built on recognition and emotional
can survive years of commercial un- continuity — the return of a charac-
certainty. The simultaneous success ter audiences had not forgotten.
of Yash-starrer Toxic: A Fairy Tale Hashmi himself acknowledged
for Grown-Ups and Emraan Hash- that relationship when he told the-
mi’s Awarapan 2 offers a fascinating atre audiences: “This is a film which
illustration of these two very differ- belongs to the fans more than the
ent routes to becoming a star. The contrast between Yash (left) and Emraan Hashmi also shows that there is no single formu- makers, which is why we have re-
la for sustaining stardom (File photos) turned.” He added that the journey
Yash represents the contem- had been made “even more thrilling
porary phenomenon: a Kan- fans of Yash, that’s why we’ve come When Awarapan released in with more action and emotions.”
nada superstar who crossed to catch the first-day, first show. We 2007, it did not become a major Both Toxic and Awarapan 2 have
regional boundaries with KGF travelled 40 km just for this; we are box-office success. But the film managed to create that urgency, al-
and transformed himself into die-hard fans of Rocky Bhai,” he said. gradually developed a cult following, beit through completely different
helped enormously by its music and
That sentence explains some-
routes.
a pan-Indian box-office force. thing important about modern In- Hashmi’s portrayal of Shivam Pandit. There is also an important lesson
Hashmi represents something dian stardom. For a section of the Nearly two decades later, Awarapan for the industry in the strong perfor-
almost opposite. audience, the film is only part of the 2 has converted that accumulated af- mance of Awarapan 2 outside the
experience. The star himself has be- fection into a remarkable theatrical biggest metropolitan centers. Its suc-
His popularity was built during come the event. comeback. cess in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and at
the 2000s around romantic dramas, The response was reflected at the The numbers underline the scale single screens demonstrates that the
thrillers, intense characters and un- box office. Toxic reportedly earned of that revival. Awarapan 2 collected theatrical audience has not disap-
forgettable music, but his career Rs 150 crore globally on its first day, Rs 84.31 crore nett during its open- peared; it is becoming more selective
subsequently went through periods despite mixed reviews. Its Hindi ver- ing weekend, while its Rs 23.40 crore about what it considers worth watch-
when he was no longer considered a sion collected Rs 55.40 crore, making opening day itself surpassed the ing in a theatre.
conventional theatrical draw. it the second-biggest Hindi opener of entire lifetime business of the 2007 The contrast between Yash and
Yet both have now arrived at 2026 at that point, according to trade original. It also performed strongly Hashmi also shows that there is no
the same destination — audiences analyst Taran Adarsh. in Tier 2 and Tier 3 centers, bring- single formula for sustaining star-
returning to theaters specifically be- Yash’s journey is significant be- ing back “House Full” boards at sin- dom. Yash has expanded outward,
cause of them. cause it represents the rise of the gle-screen theatres and non-national from a regional star into a national
The scale of Yash’s Toxic open- pan-Indian superstar. He did not cinema chains. phenomenon. Hashmi has travelled
ing is a reflection of the extraordi- have to abandon his Kannada iden- That is more than the power of in the opposite direction, from main-
nary relationship he has built with tity to become nationally relevant. a sequel. It is the power of memory. stream popularity through a difficult
his followers. Across Karnataka, fans Instead, KGF turned that regional Hashmi’s wife Parveen cap- period and back into the center of
gathered before dawn, wore Toxic identity into part of his national ap- tured the emotional dimension of audience attention through a charac-
T-shirts, carried banners and cutouts, peal. Toxic is now testing whether his comeback when she wrote: “It ter they never completely forgot.
danced to drum beats and celebrated that phenomenon can evolve beyond has taken Emi 23 years to get here Yash has shown how a star can
his appearance on screen. In Belaga- a successful franchise into a sus- today.” She recalled the “incredible become an event. Hashmi has shown
vi, one fan told ANI that he and his tained personal brand. highs” as well as the “heartbreak and that a star can disappear from the
friends had travelled 40 km for the Hashmi’s story is almost the mir- disappointment”, but emphasized center of the box office and still find
first-day, first-show. “We are huge ror image. that he “kept showing up, kept work- his way back.

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