In 2007, Emraan Hashmi and Sunny Deol went head-to-head at the box office, with their respective films Awarapan and Apne releasing alongside each other.The highly anticipated day has finally arrived, with Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 hitting theatres after much anticipation. However, the gangster actioner is not the only major release this Independence Day weekend. Sunny Deol’s Partition-era drama Batwara 1947, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, has also arrived in cinemas. It is a clash between two very different films, and, in many ways, two very different actors. Interestingly, this is not the first time Emraan Hashmi and Sunny Deol have found themselves competing at the box office.Awarapan floppedIn 2007, Mohit Suri’s Awarapan released on June 29, alongside Anil Sharma’s boxing drama Apne, which brought Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol together on screen. Interestingly, Awarapan had a very underwhelming start at the box office. According to Bollywood Hungama, the film grossed just Rs 79 lakh on its opening day and Rs 2.88 crore over its opening weekend. Its first-week collection stood at Rs 4.47 crore, while the film eventually ended its worldwide run with a gross of Rs 12.18 crore. It was subsequently declared a flop.Apne soaredApne, meanwhile, performed considerably better. The Deols’ sports drama opened at Rs 1.89 crore and went on to collect Rs 6.22 crore over its opening weekend. By the end of its first week, the film had earned Rs 10.34 crore and eventually closed its worldwide run at Rs 38.85 crore. The film was declared a hit at the box office. Apne did better than Awarapan at the box office.Interestingly, there was another release competing with both Awarapan and Apne at the time, Himesh Reshammiya’s Aap Kaa Surroor. The film, too, opened ahead of Awarapan, earning Rs 1.79 crore on its first day and eventually collecting Rs 18.86 crore over its lifetime, surpassing the worldwide earnings of Emraan’s film.Also Read | Khakee: Amitabh Bachchan as angry old man in the perfect masala vehicleEmraan Hashmi having the last laughCut to 2026, however, and the tables have turned dramatically. Awarapan has grown into a cult favourite over the years, and its sequel appears to have found a far stronger opening than its predecessor. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Awarapan 2 has already collected over Rs 18.57 crore net and already surpassed the original film’s entire lifetime earnings on its opening day itself. Awarapan 2 has opened really well.On the other hand, Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 has managed to collect around Rs 3.99 crore so far, as of the halfway mark on its release day. The difference is rather telling.Story continues below this adFor Emraan Hashmi, the opening of Awarapan 2 marks a remarkable turnaround from the modest box-office performance of the original. Nearly 20 years after their first clash, the actor appears to have finally had his box-office moment against Sunny Deol.