"I've
seen
the
film
myself
with
the
audience,
and
it
has
put
my
fears
to
rest" said
Mohit
Suri
after
seeing
two
shows
back
to
back
in
Mumbai's
Galaxy
cinema.
The
manner
in
which
Mohit
communicated
his
verdict
to
all
of
us
brought
the
rays
of
hope
back
to
us
and
lifted
our
somber
mood.
As
the
day
deepened,
reports
from
various
states
of
India
reached
us
through
phone
calls
and
sms's.
One
thing
was
clear:
Awarapan
was
being
liked
by
the
consumer.
As
night
descended
and
Awarapan's
first
day
in
theatres
was
coming
to
an
end
my
writer
Shagufta
Rafique
and
my
director
Mohit
Suri,
sat
riveted
in
front
of
the
television
set
sampling
audience
responses
and
bracing
themselves
for
the
critical
analysis
of
Awarapan.
Film
bashing
has
always
been
a
lucrative
business
and
a
tool
of
power.
The
capacity
of
a
critic
to
hurt
and
wound
the
vanity
of
the
entertainer
ironically
contributes
to
him
being
cultivated
by
the
who's
who
of
the
trade
in
order
to
get
a
favorable
review
whenever
their
film
releases.
Most
of
us
in
Bollywood,
by
now
know
that
a
film
critic
is
like
a
billboard
that
you
can
"buy" for
love
or
for
money
to
get
the
kind
of
review
you
hope.
Finally,
it
was
time
for
us
to
part.
I
could
see
that
Mohit
Suri
the
director
was
sinking
deep
into
a
quagmire
of
depression.
The
gap
between
what
the
heart
longs
for
and
the
hand
life
deals
you
has
always
been
unbridgeable.
I
could
see
that
he
was
angry
that
the
film
had
been
released
with
two
other
films,
but
then
such
is
life.
Nobody
expected,
least
of
all
Mohit
Suri,
that
Himesh
Reshammiya
would
steal
the
thunder
of
both,
the
Deols
as
well
as
Emraan
Hashmi.
The
next
morning
when
the
heavens
came
down
and
incessant
rain
lashed
down
on
Mumbai
I
woke
up
and
discovered
that
although
the
critics
had
not
raved
about
Awarapan,
they
had
unanimously
raved
about
the
birth
of
an
actor
called
Emraan
Hashmi.
Emraan
had
succeeded
in
demolishing
his
'Serial
Kisser' image,
and
making
his
presence
felt
to
his
worst
detractors.
"This
is
a
triumph
for
you
Mohit
and
for
us,"
I
said
playing
the
role
of
a
leader
to
lift
the
sagging
morale
of
my
demoralized
unit.
Despite
heavy
rainfall,
Awarapan
held
on
and
the
collections
at
places
began
to
climb.
As
the
curtains
come
down
on
the
second
day
of
Awarapan
in
theaters
and
its
fate
at
the
box
office
is
still
unclear.
I'm
beginning
to
see
one
undeniable
truth
-
that
no
matter
how
hard
you
try
it
is
finally
word
of
mouth
that
makes
or
breaks
a
film
and
not
the
critics
or
your
advertising
budget.
The
truth
of
Emraan's
performance
was
outshining
the
lie
of
the
Aap
Ka
Suroor
marketing
team.
If
lie
can
supercede
the
truth
then
I
want
to
scream
"Hey,
stop
the
world.
I
want
to
get
off!"