# Awara Paagal Deewana (आवारा पागल दीवाना)
**Awara Paagal Deewana** (आवारा पागल दीवाना) is a 2002 Hindi-language action comedy directed by [Vikram Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/vikram-bhatt), in which a dentist and a henpecked husband becomes entangled in a mafia rivalry after a crime boss's will sets his son and son-in-law against each other.[1](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/awara-paagal-deewana) It was released on 21 June 2002, produced by Firoz Nadiadwala under the Base Industries Group banner, and starred [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar), Suniel Shetty, and [Aftab Shivdasani](https://www.edgepedia.org/aftab-shivdasani) in the lead roles.[2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 21 June 2002, Hindi language, directed by Vikram Bhatt[2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/) |
| Lead cast | Akshay Kumar as Guru Gulab Khatri, Suniel Shetty as Yeda Anna, Aftab Shivdasani as Dr. Anmol Acharya, Paresh Rawal as Manilal, Rahul Dev as Vikrant[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/) |
| Crew | Story by Neeraj Vora; music by Anu Malik; lyrics by Sameer; cinematography by Pravin Bhatt[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=597) |
| India box office | ₹160.2 million (₹16.02 crore) net per Bollywood Hungama; ₹163.5 million (₹16.35 crore) net per Sacnilk; ₹160,150,000 per Box Office India[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/box-office/) • [6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Awara_Paagal_Deewana_2002?expand_article=1) • [7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597) |
| Verdict | Average, against a budget of ₹130 million (₹13 crore)[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Awara_Paagal_Deewana_2002?expand_article=1) |
| Opening | First day ₹15.3 million (₹1.53 crore) on 325 screens; first weekend ₹44.3 million (₹4.43 crore); first week ₹76.6 million (₹7.66 crore)[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597) |
| Audience rating | 6.3/10 on IMDb from about 10,000 votes[1](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/awara-paagal-deewana) |
| Certification | Passed with an A (adults only) certificate in India; heavily edited for television and DVD to a U rating[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story turns on the will of an underworld crime boss, played by [Om Puri](https://www.edgepedia.org/om-puri), which names his daughter Preeti ([Preeti Jhangiani](https://www.edgepedia.org/preeti-jhangiani)), his son-in-law Guru (Akshay Kumar), and his son Vikrant ([Rahul Dev](https://www.edgepedia.org/rahul-dev)) as claimants, all three of whom must be present to inherit his wealth.[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597) This provision starts a war between Vikrant and Guru. Vikrant frames his brother-in-law for the murder of an elected official, forcing Guru to flee the country.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/awara-paagal-deewana)
In America, Guru has the misfortune of meeting neighbors who learn of the reward offered for his arrest, while Vikrant's hitmen pursue him.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/awara-paagal-deewana) The dentist Anmol Acharya comes to India, pushed by his greedy wife, to reveal Guru's whereabouts, and there meets Yeda Anna ([Suniel Shetty](https://www.edgepedia.org/suniel-shetty)), who offers him help; a three-way race then develops between Vikrant, Anna, and Guru over the don's wealth.[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597) Producer Firoz Nadiadwala later described the film's underlying theme as a set of extra-marital affairs, involving Preeti and Aftab's character, Aftab's wife and Suniel's character, and [Paresh Rawal](https://www.edgepedia.org/paresh-rawal)'s character's wife and Johny Lever's character, handled, in his words, in such an innocent and sanitized way that the public paid it no attention; he credited writer [Neeraj Vora](https://www.edgepedia.org/neeraj-vora) for that treatment.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/20-years-awara-paagal-deewana-exclusive-working-sequel-akshay-kumar-paresh-rawal-sure-will-directed-ahmed-khan-firoz-nadiadwala/)
## Cast and crew
Akshay Kumar played Guru Gulab Khatri, the don's son-in-law; Suniel Shetty played Yeda Anna, a role whose name, Anna, became the actor's fond nickname within the film industry according to IMDb trivia.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/) Aftab Shivdasani played Dr. Anmol Acharya, Paresh Rawal played Manilal, Johny Lever played Chhota Chhatri, Aarti Chhabria played Tina Chippa, Amrita Arora played Mona, and Asrani played Champaklal, Vikrant's lawyer.[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=597) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/awara-paagal-deewana/cast/2030112251/) [Supriya Pilgaonkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/supriya-pilgaonkar) appeared as Paramjeet.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/awara-paagal-deewana/cast/2030112251/)
Behind the camera, Vikram Bhatt directed from a story by Neeraj Vora, with screenplay and dialogue by Mangesh Kulkarni and Anand Vardhan, music by [Anu Malik](https://www.edgepedia.org/anu-malik), lyrics by Sameer, and cinematography by Pravin Bhatt.[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=597) The action was directed by Abbas Ali Moghul and Philip Ko, and the soundtrack was released on Saregama-HMV with playback singers including [Udit Narayan](https://www.edgepedia.org/udit-narayan), Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan, Alka Yagnik, Shaan, and [Adnan Sami](https://www.edgepedia.org/adnan-sami).[2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/) Filming took place in part in New York City.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/)
## Censorship and versions
The film was certified A (adults only) in India. For its television and DVD release it was heavily edited to revise the age rating from A to U, and entire sequences, such as the Matrix-style fight sequence, were censored; the film formally references *The Matrix* (1999) among its connections.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/) Director Vikram Bhatt later said the censor board of the time treated the film as a lesson in adultery and believed he was endorsing it.[2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/)
Reported runtimes differ across databases: Box Office India lists 164 minutes, IMDb lists 2 hours 38 minutes, and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) and The Times of India list 2 hours 49 minutes.[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/) • [1](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/awara-paagal-deewana) • [11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Hindi/movie-details/Awara-Paagal-Deewana/movieshow/61255567.cms)
## Box office
The film opened to ₹15.3 million (₹1.53 crore) on its first day in India across 325 screens, reached ₹44.3 million (₹4.43 crore) by the end of its opening weekend and ₹76.6 million (₹7.66 crore) by the end of week one, and finished with an India net total of about ₹160 million (₹16 crore).[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597) • [5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/box-office/) Against a budget of ₹130 million (₹13 crore), both Sacnilk and Box Office India classified the result as Average.[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Awara_Paagal_Deewana_2002?expand_article=1) • [7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597)
The trackers disagree on the totals. Bollywood Hungama reports ₹160.2 million (₹16.02 crore) India net, ₹222.5 million (₹22.25 crore) India gross, ₹11.7 million (₹1.17 crore) overseas gross, and ₹234.2 million (₹23.42 crore) worldwide gross.[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/box-office/) Sacnilk reports ₹163.5 million (₹16.35 crore) India net, ₹216.1 million (₹21.61 crore) India gross, ₹59.9 million (₹5.99 crore) overseas, and ₹276 million (₹27.60 crore) worldwide.[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Awara_Paagal_Deewana_2002?expand_article=1) Box Office India reports a total nett gross of ₹16,01,50,000, India gross of ₹26,41,00,000, overseas gross of $240,000, worldwide gross of ₹27,58,00,000, and footfalls of 8,983,000.[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597) All three sources state that their figures are compiled from various sources and are approximate.
## Reception and legacy
On IMDb the film holds a 6.3/10 rating from about 10,000 votes, and on Rotten Tomatoes the audience Popcornmeter stands at 53% from more than 250 ratings, with no critic reviews tallied on the Tomatometer.[1](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/awara-paagal-deewana) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/awara-paagal-deewana) The film is remembered for its comedy and its large-scale action set pieces; Nadiadwala highlighted the grand action as part of its lasting appeal in a 2022 retrospective interview.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/20-years-awara-paagal-deewana-exclusive-working-sequel-akshay-kumar-paresh-rawal-sure-will-directed-ahmed-khan-firoz-nadiadwala/)
A sequel has been discussed for years. In June 2022, marking twenty years of the film, producer Firoz Nadiadwala said a sequel was in the works with Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal confirmed and Ahmed Khan set to direct.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/20-years-awara-paagal-deewana-exclusive-working-sequel-akshay-kumar-paresh-rawal-sure-will-directed-ahmed-khan-firoz-nadiadwala/) In June 2025, director Vikram Bhatt said the sequel was still on.[2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/)
## Availability
In India the film streams on Amazon Prime Video and ShemarooMe, and free with ads on ShemarooMe, MX Player, and Amazon MX Player.[12](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/115124/awara-paagal-deewana) In the United States it has been available free with ads on Plex, Xumo Play, and Tubi, with digital rental around $3.99 and purchase around $7.99 on YouTube and Google Play Movies.[1](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/awara-paagal-deewana) • [13](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/12672/where-to-watch/)
## References
1. [Awara Paagal Deewana streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/awara-paagal-deewana)
2. [Awara Paagal Deewana Movie page and timeline, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/)
3. [Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319020/)
4. [Awara Paagal Deewana Cast & Credits, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=597)
5. [Awara Paagal Deewana Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/box-office/)
6. [Awara Paagal Deewana (2002) Review, Rating & Box Office Collection, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Awara_Paagal_Deewana_2002?expand_article=1)
7. [Awara Paagal Deewana, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=597)
8. [Awaara Paagal Deewana, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/awara-paagal-deewana)
9. [20 Years Of Awara Paagal Deewana EXCLUSIVE: Firoz Nadiadwala interview, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/20-years-awara-paagal-deewana-exclusive-working-sequel-akshay-kumar-paresh-rawal-sure-will-directed-ahmed-khan-firoz-nadiadwala/)
10. [Awara Paagal Deewana Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/awara-paagal-deewana/cast/2030112251/)
11. [Awara Paagal Deewana Movie: Showtimes, Review, Songs, Trailer, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Hindi/movie-details/Awara-Paagal-Deewana/movieshow/61255567.cms)
12. [Where to watch Awara Paagal Deewana in India, OTTASIA](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/115124/awara-paagal-deewana)
13. [Awara Paagal Deewana Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/awara-paagal-deewana/12672/where-to-watch/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2000s › Comedy films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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