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Stree 2

2024 Indian film by Amar Kaushik From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stree 2
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Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (transl. Stree 2: Terror of the Headless) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Niren Bhatt and produced jointly by Maddock Films and Jio Studios. A sequel to the 2018 film Stree (2018), which spawned the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, it serves as the fourth instalment in the franchise. The film stars Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana as a group of friends who must defeat Sarkata, a headless malevolent entity abducting the women of Chanderi and involved in a conflict with Stree, with Tamannaah Bhatia and Varun Dhawan, who reprises his role from Bhediya, also playing crucial roles.

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Kaushik expressed interest in developing a sequel to Stree in October 2018. By February 2022, Rao confirmed that the project was in development, but original writers and producers Raj & DK were no longer involved, having parted ways with producer Dinesh Vijan over disputes regarding the rights to the franchise. Bhatt eventually took over as writer, having written the other two instalments Bhediya (2022) and Munjya (2024). The sequel was officially announced by Vijan and Jyoti Deshpande in April 2023. Principal photography began in July of the same year, primarily taking place in Chanderi and Bihar, and concluded by mid-2024. The soundtrack album was composed by Sachin–Jigar, while the background score was composed by Justin Varghese, who replaced Ketan Sodha from the original. The cinematography and editing were handled by Jishnu Bhattacharjee, who replaced Amalendu Chaudhary from the original, and Hemanti Sarkar, respectively.

Stree 2 was theatrically released worldwide on 15 August 2024, coinciding with Independence Day, and received positive reviews from critics. The film grossed over ₹875 crore (US$100 million) worldwide, emerging as the third highest-grossing Indian film and the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024, as well as the sixth highest-grossing Hindi film and the eleventh highest-grossing Indian film of all time.[7][8]

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Plot

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After Stree abstains from haunting Chanderi, a headless demon called Sarkata emerges and abducts an unaccompanied woman. A few years later, the townsfolk of Chanderi worship Stree and believe that the women Sarkata abducted in the past few years left their homes to seek better opportunities. Meanwhile, Rudra receives an anonymous envelope containing a few missing pages of the "Chanderi Puran" and a message saying, "Vo Aayega" (transl. He will come). He promptly confides in Vicky, who brushes him off.

The townsfolk discern the existence of Sarkata after he abducts Bittu's girlfriend Chitti. The enigmatic woman, who vanished from the bus, briefly reappears to Vicky and cautions him about Sarkata. Vicky, Rudra and Bittu examine the missing pages of 'Chanderi Puran' and discover that Sarkata is the malevolent ghost of Chandrabhan, a former chieftain of Chanderi, who murdered Stree and her partner while their young daughter spectated helplessly. He was murdered by Stree but was destined to emerge from the dead after her supposed exit from the town; he despises progressive women and targets them. Realizing that they need Stree's assistance in defeating him, Vicky and Bittu meet with Jana, who was once a medium for Stree, at his werewolf cousin Bhaskar's residence and convince him to return home for a "stage play".

They search for Stree at her lair, where Sarkata attacks Jana and the latter briefly has an out-of-body experience; his soul visits Sarkata's lair, where he finds the missing woman. His soul returns to his body and the group leaves the fort with Sarkata in pursuit. The woman shows up again and fights Sarkata, having acquired Stree's powers through her braid but he destroys Stree's statue to indicate his authority. Women of the town fear getting abducted and urge Vicky to find a solution; The woman motivates Vicky and reminds him that he is the saviour of the town. She gives him a mystical dagger that is capable of killing Sarkata. To lure Sarkata, they arrange for a dance performance by Rudra's beautiful lover Shama. Sarkata appears to abduct her but Vicky fails to muster the courage to kill him; he subsequently enchants the men of the town and abducts Shama, devastating Rudra. Elsewhere, the bewitched men turn chauvinistic and begin to dominate women in their homes.

Desperate to rescue the town, the group traces the writer of the letter to a mental asylum, where they realize that he is the descendant of Sarkata. He reveals that Sarkata could only be defeated by a person, who is neither a man nor a woman but both. The woman merges her soul with Vicky for the time being and they enter Sarkata's lair. They confront Sarkata and sever his head but each dismembered part forms a new Sarkata and creates terror. Bhaskar comes to their rescue but they are still overwhelmed by Sarkata. Having no choice, the woman calls for Stree, who is revealed to be her mother. Stree arrives and presumably kills him by dragging Sarkata into lava, releasing the abducted women and disenchanting the men of Chanderi. While the townsfolk celebrate, the woman reveals herself to be a ghost to Vicky and that her true purpose is to help her mother attain salvation. She finally whispers her name in Vicky's ears and promises to meet again.

In a post-credits scene, after his fight with Sarkata, Bhaskar finds himself stranded naked in a jungle. Jana brings him clothes and learns from Bhaskar that a creature, apparently a vampire, has been wreaking havoc in Delhi. Elsewhere, the remains of Sarkata reach his descendant at the mental asylum and his ghost possesses him, implying his return.

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Cast

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Production

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Development

In October 2018, following the success of Stree, Amar Kaushik announced plans for a sequel.[9] The project, produced by Raj and DK alongside Dinesh Vijan, was initially set to begin filming in 2019.[10] According to producer Vijan, the sequel would delve into Shraddha Kapoor’s character's backstory and answer several unanswered questions from the first film.[11] The original cast would return, with new additions, and the narrative would primarily focus on the characters played by Rajkummar Rao and Kapoor.[12]

However, script development continued throughout 2019, with filming postponed to 2020; in the meantime, Raj & DK distanced themselves from the sequel after a fallout with Vijan over the rights to Stree. In February 2022, Rao confirmed the sequel's development.[13] By October 2022, Kapoor also confirmed that shooting would commence soon.[13] That same month, it was reported that Kaushik and his team had finalised the storyline for the sequel, which would continue from where the first film left off.[14]

In March 2023, the film entered pre-production, with filming scheduled to start in July 2023.[15][16] In April 2023, Jio Studios joined as co-producers.[17] The filmmakers announced that the sequel is set for release on 30 August 2024.[18]

Casting

Rao, Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana reprise their respective roles, with Tripathi returning as Rudra, Banerjee as Jana, Khurana as Bittu, and Sunita Rajwar as Jana's mother. Tamannaah Bhatia makes a special appearance in a song, while Varun Dhawan features in a cameo, reprising his role from Bhediya.[19] According to a report from Hindustan Times, Akshay Kumar would be appearing in a cameo.[20]

Filming

Principal photography began on 10 July 2023, with the initial shoot taking place in Chanderi.[21][22] Filming schedules were adjusted to accommodate Pankaj Tripathi's commitments to his role in Main Atal Hoon (2024).[23] The first schedule concluded within the same month.[24] The second schedule commenced in November 2023, with the crew relocating to Madhya Pradesh for additional filming.[25] In December 2023, scenes were shot in Indore, and a dance number featuring Tamannaah Bhatia was filmed in Bihar, choreographed by Vijay Ganguly.[26][27][28] In January 2024, the production moved to an old fort in Bhopal.[29] Varun Dhawan joined the set in February 2024 to film a guest appearance at a Mumbai studio, reprising his role from Bhediya (2022).[30]

Post-production

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) did not mandate any visual cuts for Stree 2. However, the board requested two audio modifications: the removal of a celebrity's name and the muting of a national monument's name. After these changes, the film was granted a U/A rating and has a runtime of 149 minutes.[1] One improvised scene involved Rajkummar Rao singing "Calm Down" by Rema and Selena Gomez, which led to the producers paying ₹25 lakh in residuals.[31]

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Music

Main article: Stree 2 (soundtrack)

The film's music was composed by Sachin–Jigar, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, replacing Vayu from the original, and the background score by Justin Varghese in his second Hindi film, replacing Ketan Sodha from the original. The soundtrack, distributed by Saregama, consisted of four original tracks, namely "Aaj Ki Raat",[32] "Khoobsurat",[33] "Aayi Nai"[34] and "Tumhare Hi Rahenge Hum"[35]—all of which were released as singles.[36]

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Marketing

The teaser for Stree 2 premiered in theatres during the end credits of Munjya on 14 June, and was later released on social media on 25 June 2024.[37][38] The trailer of the film was released on 18 July 2024 and received over 10 million views across platforms within 24 hours.[39]

Release

Theatrical

Stree 2 was initially scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on 30 August 2024, but was later rescheduled to premiere on Independence Day. The day before its release, nearly 3,000 paid preview night shows were held.[40][41]

Home media

The film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video from 26 September 2024.[42]

Reception

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Box office

Stree 2 grossed ₹9.40 crore from paid previews in select theatres the day before its official release, the highest ever for a Hindi film, breaking the previous record set by Chennai Express (2013).[43] Released on Independence Day alongside Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein, the film earned ₹64.80 crore on its opening day, making it the second-highest opening day for a Hindi film, only behind Jawan (2023).[44][45] It marked the highest opening of Rajkummar Rao's career and the second-highest for Shraddha Kapoor, following Saaho (2019).[46] Worldwide, the film crossed ₹100 crore on its second day, the ₹300 crore mark on its eighth day and the ₹400 crore mark in its first week.[47][48][49] Additionally, it surpassed the earnings of Stree on its third day.[48] In its fifth week, the film earned an additional ₹16 crore, setting a record for the highest fifth-week collection in Indian cinema history.[50]

Internationally, the film debuted within the top 10 at the U.S. domestic box office with an opening gross of $2.57 million.[51] It also became the eleventh Indian film to cross A$2 million in Australia and crossed £1 million in the United Kingdom, the first for an Indian horror film.[52] Box Office India reported that the film did particularly well overseas despite the fact it did not have a prominent male lead.[53]

As of 10 October 2024, the film has grossed ₹739.40 crore in India and ₹134.30 crore internationally, bringing its total worldwide gross to ₹875 crore.[7]

Critical response

Stree 2 received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised its blend of horror and comedy, performances, and sharp dialogue, though some found the sequel lacking in novelty.[54] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 62% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[55]

A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4.5 out of 5, calling it "the birth of a successful franchise" and highlighting its seamless mix of humour and horror.[56] Similarly, Simran Khan of Times Now awarded it 4 out of 5, describing it as a "well-packaged entertainer" with a standout performance from Rajkummar Rao, while also commending Shraddha Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi. Though she noted a predictable climax, she emphasised that the film effectively balances horror and comedy, making it an engaging watch.[57]

Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India echoed this sentiment, also rating it 4 out of 5 and calling it "a headless wonder that's got humour in spades." He praised the film's clever script and its introduction of a male villain, Sarkata, though he found the second half to suffer from pacing issues.[58] Tushar Joshi of India Today rated it 3.5 out of 5, describing it as a "multiverse of madness" that is entertaining but occasionally struggles with coherence. He pointed out the film's improved visual effects and praised its performances, particularly Rao's and a cameo by Akshay Kumar.[59]

Like Srivastava, Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times believed the sequel surpassed the original, writing that “Rajkummar Rao leads a sequel that's better than the original; Abhishek Banerjee is the highlight.” Suri appreciated the film's blend of humour with social commentary, particularly its take on patriarchal constraints, and praised the sharp dialogue and Banerjee's performance.[60] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated it 3 out of 5, noting that while the film capitalises on the goodwill of the original and the camaraderie among the actors, its "spirited return" has its highs and lows.[61]

Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu offered a more mixed review, remarking that while Rao, Kapoor, and the ensemble deliver laughs, the film “feels like a factory-made sequel.” He found that it retained the charm of the original but sacrificed its nuanced social commentary in favour of franchise expansion.[62] Similarly, Pratiksha Mishra of The Quint criticised the film's visual effects, stating that they made the antagonist, Sarkata, appear "less menacing and more cartoonish," which undercut the intended horror.[63]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV India was more critical, rating the film 2.5 out of 5 and commenting that "Shraddha Kapoor's film is bemusing rather than petrifying." He felt that while the sequel builds on the success of its predecessor, its reliance on predictable humour and outdated tropes made it feel repetitive despite moments of creativity.[64]

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Accolades

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Notes

  1. Stree 2's reported budget varies between ₹50 crore (India Today[2]) – ₹60 crore (DNA India[3] and The Financial Express[4]) – ₹90 crore (Hindustan Times[5]) – ₹105 crore (Bollywood Hungama[6])

References

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