Aashiqui 2 (which means Romance 2) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Bhushan Kumar and Mukesh Bhatt under the T-Series Films and Vishesh Films production companies. It is a follow-up to the 1990 musical film Aashiqui. The film features Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor in leading roles, with Shaad Randhawa and Mahesh Thakur in supporting roles. The story follows the difficult romantic relationship between Rahul Jaykar, a singer struggling with alcohol and mood issues, and Aarohi Keshav Shirke, his student and aspiring singer.

The film is based on the original 1937 version and the 1976 remake of A Star is Born. Some Indian media initially worried the film might not match the success of the original. Production began in 2011, with filming taking place in Cape Town, Goa, and Mumbai on a budget of ₹15 crore (US$1.8 million).

Aashiqui 2 was released in India on April 26, 2013. It became a commercial success, earning over ₹100 crore (US$12 million) at the box office in 2013. This helped Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor gain recognition after years of struggling to be noticed. The film was the highest-grossing production for the Bhatt brothers and Vishesh Films. The soundtrack was also very popular, with songs like Tum Hi Ho and Sunn Raha Hai topping music charts in India. These songs are often considered among the best of the decade. A Telugu version of the film, Nee Jathaga Nenundali, was released in 2014.

Plot

The film begins with a large group of people waiting for Rahul Jaykar, a once-famous singer and musician whose career is declining due to his alcohol addiction, to perform at a stage show in Goa. During the performance, he nearly finishes a song when an artist named Aryan, whose career was harmed by Rahul, suddenly interrupts him. Rahul fights Aryan, stops the performance, and drives to a local bar. There, he meets Aarohi Keshav Shirke, a bar singer who admires Rahul. After seeing Aarohi look at a photo of Lata Mangeshkar, Rahul assumes she wants to become a singer. Impressed by her voice and simple nature, Rahul promises to help her become a famous singer and tells her not to perform in bars again. Because of his promise, Aarohi leaves her job and returns to Mumbai with Rahul. Rahul convinces a record producer named Saigal to meet Aarohi. When Aarohi calls Rahul, he is attacked and injured by thugs and cannot answer her call. His friend and manager, Vivek, decides not to share news of the attack with the media. Instead, Vivek spreads a false story that Rahul has left the country for stage shows. When Aarohi tries to contact Rahul again, Vivek ignores her calls. After two months of failing to reach Rahul, Aarohi is forced to return to singing in bars because of her family's problems.

Meanwhile, Rahul recovers from his injuries and searches for Aarohi. He learns that Aarohi is working in a bar again and that Vivek ignored her calls without telling him. Rahul apologizes to Aarohi, fires Vivek, and meets Saigal to discuss a recording agreement. Rahul begins training Aarohi, who signs a music contract to sing in films and becomes a successful playback singer. Her family and Rahul are happy, but people start gossiping that Rahul is using her as a servant. This causes Rahul to start drinking again. Aarohi, who loves Rahul more than her career, comforts him, and they share a romantic moment. Despite Aarohi's mother, Subhadra, disapproving, Aarohi moves in with Rahul. Their lives improve until Rahul's addiction worsens, making him aggressive and violent.

Aarohi tries to help Rahul recover, even giving up her singing career. When Saigal reminds them of their dream for Aarohi's success, Rahul tells her to focus on her work. During Aarohi's stage show, Rahul meets Kunal Basu, a journalist, who accuses him of using Aarohi for pleasure and money. Angry, Rahul attacks Kunal and starts drinking again. He is arrested, and Aarohi bails him out. Rahul overhears Aarohi telling Saigal that she plans to leave her career for him and is willing to give up fame to be with him. Rahul realizes he has become a burden in her life and decides leaving her is the only way to save her. The next day, he tells Aarohi he will change his lifestyle, but secretly plans to take his own life by jumping off a bridge. His death deeply affects people, including Saigal, who had also wanted Aarohi to succeed.

Distressed by Rahul's death, Aarohi considers leaving her career, but Vivek encourages her to continue. He reminds her that Rahul wanted her to become a successful singer and that he died to avoid being a burden on her. Aarohi agrees and returns to singing. Later, she signs her name as "Aarohi Rahul Jaykar" in a fan's handbook as a tribute to Rahul and her wish to marry him. As it begins to rain, she watches a couple who took her autograph share a romantic moment under a jacket, just as she and Rahul once did.

Cast

• Aditya Roy Kapur as Rahul Jaykar
• Shraddha Kapoor as Aarohi Keshav Shirke and Aarohi Rahul Jaykar (with partial voiceover by Mona Ghosh Shetty)
• Shaad Randhawa as Vivek, Rahul's friend
• Mahesh Thakur as Saigal
• Shubhangi Latkar as Subhadra Shirke, Aarohi's mother
• Milind Pathak as Keshav Shirke, Aarohi's father
• Chandrachur Singh as Salim Bhai
• Mahesh Bhatt as Vikram Jaykar, Rahul's father (with voiceover)
• Vineet Sharma as a man drinking in a bar
• Mohnish Behl as Aryan
• Amit Behl as Kunal
• Pankaj Udhas as Shankar
• Savi Thakur as Thakur Sahab

Production

In September 2011, Indian media reported that Mahesh Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar wanted to remake the 1990 musical film Aashiqui. Kumar asked Bhatt about making a sequel, but it was Shagufta Rafique’s romantic and emotional story that made Bhatt believe the film could work as a sequel. Because Aashiqui is considered one of the greatest Indian musicals ever made, many people worried that the new version might not have a soundtrack as good as the original. Bhatt said the team decided not to use the original soundtrack and promised that Aashiqui 2 would bring back the style of musical film songs, just like the first film did 22 years earlier.

It was reported that Madhur Bhandarkar was asked to direct the film but declined due to other work. In November 2011, Vishal Mahadkar, the director of Blood Money, was confirmed for the project. However, the following month, Mohit Suri was chosen instead. Bhatt said, “We first decided on Vishal, but we changed our minds and found a new director. We now have Mohit directing the film.”

The film’s producers held a nationwide search for new actors, at first refusing to hire well-known stars. However, the people who auditioned did not seem suitable for the roles, and the plan was canceled. Mahesh Bhatt said, “The talent search was a failure. We saw that many people were too afraid to audition. Some amateurs came, while others with talent were hesitant to risk rejection.” When Mohit Suri saw pictures of Aditya Roy Kapur and met him, he believed Kapur was the right choice for the male lead and cast him.

In June 2012, Shraddha Kapoor was signed to play the female lead. Bhatt said he chose her because of her ability to handle the difficult role. When asked about using new actors instead of famous ones, Suri explained, “Some people said I couldn’t make a film with new actors and expect people to watch it. But I was confident Aditya and Shraddha were the right choices. My writer, Shagufta Rafique, and I believed they were perfect for the main roles. Even though they had some unsuccessful films before, their talent was clear.”

Main filming for the movie began in late 2012 with the lead actors. The film was shot in Goa, Mumbai, and Cape Town. During filming in South Africa, Shraddha Kapoor needed medical help after kneeling on broken glass during a scene where she had to speak to Aditya Roy Kapur. Aditya Roy Kapur also got burns on his hand while filming a scene in Cape Town where they lit Chinese lanterns.

Marketing

The first look of the film was released on 22 March 2013 and was praised by both critics and audiences. Unlike many films that release their theatrical trailers first, the film's creators chose to share music videos before the trailer. The first song, "Tum Hi Ho," was released on 16 March 2013 and received high praise from critics. It became very popular with audiences, reaching about 2 million views on YouTube within 10 days. This helped promote the film, and the song became a trending topic on social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube.

A preview poster showing Aditya and Shraddha standing under a jacket on a rainy street, with a streetlight casting light, was released on 3 April 2013 along with the music. At the music release event, Aditya and Shraddha recreated a scene from the film "Aashiqui" by standing under a jacket on stage, similar to the poster. The theatrical trailer was released in mid-April 2013, two weeks before the film's release, and was also well received by critics and audiences.

Most Bollywood films are promoted for many months before their release, but "Aashiqui 2" had less than three weeks for promotion. To help advertise the film, a music concert was held where singers who performed songs in the film's soundtrack played their songs. The creators also launched jackets featured in the film's poster. Statues that looked like the couple hiding under the jacket from the poster were placed in theaters.

Release

The film was planned to be released on Valentine's Day, which is 14 February 2013, because of its romantic theme. However, the release was delayed due to production issues. The film was finally released on 26 April 2013 in more than 1100 theaters throughout India. It was not shown in important countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Reception

On its opening day, Aashiqui 2 made about ₹52.5 million (US$620,000) and earned ₹179 million (US$2.1 million) during its first weekend. The film earned ₹347 million (US$4.1 million) in its first week. In the second week, even with new movies released, it earned ₹174 million (US$2.1 million), bringing its two-week total to ₹470 million (US$5.6 million). It remained steady on weekdays and earned ₹165 million (US$2.0 million) in its third week, raising the total to ₹635 million (US$7.5 million). The film had the highest third-week earnings of 2013 up to that point. Its revenues stayed consistent in the fourth weekend, reaching ₹710 million (US$8.4 million). Box Office India called the film a success after its three-week run. As of May 20, it was the second-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2013 and the highest-grossing film made by Vishesh Films. According to Box Office India, Aashiqui 2 was the most popular film at the box office since 3 Idiots, as its fourth-week earnings were nearly ₹75 million (US$890,000), more than any film released in the past ten years except 3 Idiots. The fourth-week earnings were the third-highest of all time. The film earned about ₹57.5 million (US$680,000) in its fifth week. It later earned approximately ₹780 million (US$9.2 million) in its sixth week at the domestic box office.

Internationally, Aashiqui 2 earned about US$150,000 over its first weekend because it was only released in the UAE and Pakistan. The film earned ₹1 billion (US$12 million) worldwide in its fourth week.

During its entire theatrical run, the film earned ₹1.09 billion (US$13 million).

Critics praised the film’s performances, the chemistry between the lead actors, and the music. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, saying it "brings romance back on the Hindi screen—intense, pure, selfless, and emotional. A stirring story with brilliant moments, strong performances, and addictive music, this is a must-watch for romantics." He praised the lead actors, noting that Aditya Roy Kapur’s performance was outstanding and that Shraddha Kapoor delivered a powerful portrayal of her character. Indiatimes gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, saying the story combined old-fashioned romance with dramatic, emotional scenes. Indo-Asian News Service gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating that the director understood the challenges of love and trust in a competitive profession and compared the film’s story to A Star Is Born rather than Romeo and Juliet.

Some critics had mixed opinions. Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, saying it did not fully reach its potential but praised the setup and the performances of Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor.

Awards and Nominations:
– Best Music Director: Ankit Tiwari, Mithoon, and Jeet Ganguly
– Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh ("Tum Hi Ho")
– Nominated, Best Actress: Shraddha Kapoor
– Nominated, Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal ("Sunn Raha Hai")

• Best Music Director: Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari, and Jeet Ganguly
• Best Lyricist: Mithoon ("Tum Hi Ho")
• Best Male Playback: Arijit Singh ("Tum Hi Ho")
• Best Female Playback: Shreya Ghoshal ("Sunn Raha Hai")
• Nominated, Best Actress: Shraddha Kapoor
• Nominated, Best Lyricist: Sandeep Nath ("Sunn Raha Hai")
• Nominated, Best Male Playback: Ankit Tiwari ("Sunn Raha Hai")

• Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh ("Tum Hi Ho")
• Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal ("Sunn Raha Hai")
• Screen Award for Jodi No. 1: Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor
• Nominated, Best Music Director: Ankit Tiwari, Mithoon, and Jeet Ganguly
• Nominated, Best Actress (Female): Shraddha Kapoor
• Nominated, Most Popular Actor (Male): Aditya Roy Kapur
• Nominated, Most Popular Actress (Female): Shraddha Kapoor

• Song of the Year: "Tum Hi Ho"
• Album of the Year: Mithoon, Jeet Ganguly, Ankit Tiwari, Sandeep Nath, Irshad Kamil, and Sanjay Masoom
• Male Vocalist of the Year: Arijit Singh ("Tum Hi Ho")
• Music Composer of the Year: Mithoon ("Tum Hi Ho")
• Upcoming Male Vocalist of the Year: Ankit Tiwari ("Sunn Raha Hai")
• Upcoming Music Composer of the Year: Ankit Tiwari ("Sunn Raha Hai")
• Listeners' Choice Song of the Year: "Sunn Raha Hai"
• Listeners' Choice Album of the Year: Mithoon, Jeet Ganguly, Ankit Tiwari, Sandeep Nath, Irshad Kamil, and Sanjay Masoom