Stree 2

Stree 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Amar Kaushik
Written by	Niren Bhatt
Produced by	Dinesh Vijan Jyoti Deshpande
Starring	Rajkummar Rao Shraddha Kapoor Pankaj Tripathi Abhishek Banerjee Aparshakti Khurana
Cinematography	Jishnu Bhattacharjee
Edited by	Hemanti Sarkar
Music by	Sachin–Jigar (songs) Justin Varghese (score)
Production companies	Maddock Films Jio Studios
Distributed by	PVR Inox Pictures Pen Marudhar
Release date	15 August 2024 (2024-08-15)
Running time	149 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹50–120 crore
Box office	est. ₹874.58 crore

Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (transl. Woman 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. It is the fourth installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe and serves as the sequel to Stree (2018). The film stars Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, 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.

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. As a result, Bhatt took over as the writer. The sequel was officially announced by Dinesh 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. The cinematography and editing were handled by Jishnu Bhattacharjee 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 has grossed over ₹874.58 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.

Plot

Following the events of the first film, Stree leaves Chanderi, after witnessing her statue. Years later, Chanderi faces a new threat in the form of Sarkata, a headless ghost, who abducts women at night. The townspeople, unaware of this, mistakenly believe the missing women have left for better prospects. Meanwhile, Rudra receives an anonymous letter containing missing pages from the book Chanderi Puran, with a message 'Vo Aayega' ( He will come). A concerned Rudra warns Vicky about it, but is dismissed.

One night, Bittu's girlfriend Chitti is taken by Sarkata. A beggar who witnessed the abduction confirms the ghost's existence. The mysterious lady from the first film known as "She" briefly comes to Vicky explaining Sarkata's identity. Vicky, Bittu and Rudra investigates the torn pages of the Chanderi Puran and discover that Sarkata is the vengeful spirit of Chandrabhan, a former village head who was an alcoholic womanizer who hated progressive women. He murdered Stree, when she was a courtesan, beheaded her husband, and burned them alive in front of their little daughter. Stree returned as a spirit, beheaded Chandrabhan and his associates and buried their bodies. After Stree's departure from Chanderi, Sarkata has returned to target progressive women. Realising they need Stree's help to defeat Sarkata, the friends seek out Jana in Delhi, who was once possessed by Stree.

Jana, living with his werewolf cousin Bhaskar, is lured back to Chanderi under the pretext of a stage play. He reluctantly agrees to assist them. While searching for Stree at the old fort, Sarkata attacks and drag Jana to his lair. While his mortal body is unable to pass through the rock wall, his spirit is taken and Jana find the abducted women, who are held captive in Sarkata's lair. Jana's spirit is able to escape Sarkata's lair and bond back with his body. The group narrowly escape the fort with Sarkata in pursuit. "She" reappears and saves the group by fighting Sarkata using the powers of Stree's braid attached to her hair, but soon gets overpowered. Sarkata destroys Stree's statue in front of the group, showcasing his reign. The town women, living in fear, blame Vicky for defeating Stree, which they believe led to Sarkata's emergence. They pressure Vicky to take responsibility for the new threat.

"She" convinces Vicky that his pure soul makes him the right person for the task. She gives Vicky a magical dagger and instructs him to use it to slice Sarkata's head. The group decides to lure Sarkata by organising a provocative dance performance by Shama, Rudra's former lover. During the performance, Sarkata appears, but Vicky is unable to decapitate him. Sarkata possesses all the men protecting Shama, and subsequently abducts her. All the possessed men, including Bittu, begin controlling the town's women.

Desperate for a solution, the group follow a clue from the anonymous letter to a psychiatric hospital, where they meet a descendant of Sarkata. The man reveals that Sarkata can only be defeated by a being who is neither man, woman or animal, but equal of both. With this knowledge, "She" briefly merges her body with Vicky, creating a being capable of entering Sarkata's lair. Inside the lair, Vicky and "She" confront Sarkata. Vicky cuts Sarkata's head in half with the magical dagger, but each severed head regenerates into multiple new heads. As they are overwhelmed, Bhaskar arrives and aid in their fight. However, Sarkata overpowers them.

In a final attempt, "She" calls out to her mother, who is surprisingly revealed to be Stree. Stree arrives and, with Vicky's help, defeats Sarkata by dragging him into lava, destroying his mortal body. The abducted women are freed, and the possessed men in Chanderi are released from Sarkata influence. Vicky and his friends are celebrated as heroes. "She" reveals to Vicky that she is a ghost and that she only came to Chanderi to make her mother's spirit reach salvation, hence befriending Vicky. The reason why Stree attacked her earlier because she still thinks that her daughter is still a little girl who watched her die. She assures him that she still values their friendship and promises him that they will meet again and leaves, but not before telling him her name.

In a pre-credit scene, Bhaskar asks Jana to set him up with She. Jana declines, but Bhaskar continues to plead. Bhaskar informs Jana about a new threat in Delhi about a man sucking blood out of people's neck, referencing a vampire. In a mid-credits scene, a mysterious pot containing Sarkata's remains reaches the mental asylum, and possesses his descendant, referencing the return of the terror.

Cast

• Rajkummar Rao as Vicky
• Shraddha Kapoor as She
• Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra
• Abhishek Banerjee as Jana, Vicky's friend
• Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu, Vicky's friend
• Atul Srivastava as Vicky's father
• Mushtaq Khan as MLA
• Sunita Rajwar as Jana's mother
• Anya Singh as Chitti
• Arvind Bilgaiyan as Jana's father
• Bhoomi Rajgor as Stree
• Sunil Kumar as Sarkata
• Aakash Dabhade as Narendra, Jana's friend
• Simran Sharma as Mamata, Narendra's wife
• Ajay Pal as postman
• Mustaqueem Khan as Durga
• Badriprasad Chavan as Lokesh
• Vipasha Arvind as Anju Bhabhi
• Tamannaah Bhatia as Shama (special appearance)
• Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar / Bhediya, reprises his role from Bhediya (special appearance)
• Akshay Kumar as Sarkata's descendant (cameo appearance)
• Amar Kaushik as homeless beggar

Production

Development

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

However, script development continued throughout 2019, with filming postponed to 2020. In February 2022, Rao confirmed the sequel’s development. By October 2022, Kapoor also confirmed that shooting would commence soon. 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.

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

Casting

Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha 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. According to Hindustan Times report, Akshay Kumar will be appearing in a cameo.

Filming

Principal photography began on 10 July 2023, with the initial shoot taking place in Chanderi. Filming schedules were adjusted to accommodate Pankaj Tripathi's commitments to his role in Main Atal Hoon (2024). The first schedule concluded within the same month. The second schedule commenced in November 2023, with the crew relocating to Madhya Pradesh for additional filming. In December 2023, scenes were shot in Indore, and a dance number featuring Tamannaah Bhatia was filmed in Bihar, choreographed by Vijay Ganguly. In January 2024, the production moved to an old fort in Bhopal. Varun Dhawan joined the set in February 2024 to film a guest appearance at a Mumbai studio, reprising his role from Bhediya (2022). One improvised scene involved Rajkummar Rao singing "Calm Down" by Rema and Selena Gomez, which led to the producers paying ₹25 lakh in residuals.

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.

Music

Main article: Stree 2 (soundtrack)

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

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. The trailer of the film was released on 18 July 2024 and received over 10 million views across platforms within 24 hours.

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.

Home media

The film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video from 10 October 2024.

Reception

Box office

Stree 2 grossed ₹9.40 crore from paid previews in select theatres the day before its official release, breaking the previous record set by Chennai Express (2013). 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). It marked the highest opening of Rajkummar Rao's career and the second-highest for Shraddha Kapoor, following Saaho (2019). 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. In its fifth week, the film earned an additional ₹16 crore, setting a record for the highest fifth-week collection in Indian cinema history.

Internationally, the film debuted within the top 10 at the U.S. domestic box office with an opening gross of $2.57 million. 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. Box Office India reported that the film did particularly well overseas despite the fact it did not have a prominent male lead.

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 ₹873.79 crore. This made Stree 2 the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024 and placed it as the seventh-highest-grossing Hindi film and ninth-highest-grossing Indian film of all time. Additionally, it became the sixth-highest-grossing film in the Indian domestic market and the highest-grossing film of both Rao and Kapoor's careers.

Critical response

Stree 2 received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 62% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.

A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Stree 2 marks the birth of a successful franchise and is laced with humour and horror in ample doses". Simran Khan of Times Now awarded the film 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as a "well-packaged entertainer". She commended Rao's standout performance and also praised Kapoor and Tripathi. While she noted a few flaws, such as a predictable climax, she emphasised that the film effectively balances horror and comedy, making it an entertaining watch that will appeal to fans of the genre. Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India also rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a headless wonder that’s got humour in spades". He highlighted the film's clever script, which builds on the charm of its predecessor by introducing a male villain, Sarkata, who targets modern women. Although the second half suffers from pacing issues and some underwhelming character moments, Srivastava found that the film ultimately delivers an entertaining experience in the horror-comedy genre.

Tushar Joshi of India Today rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, noting that "Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor’s multiverse of madness is entertaining". He praised the film's humorous and thrilling continuation of the franchise, emphasising its clever script and improved visual effects. However, Joshi pointed out that the film struggles with pacing and coherence in its multiverse crossover, though it shines due to strong performances, particularly from Rao and a cameo by Akshay Kumar. Rishabh Suri of the Hindustan Times praised the sequel for its improvement from the predecessor, commenting that “Rajkummar Rao leads a sequel that’s better than the original; Abhishek Banerjee is the highlight.” Suri noted the films successful blend of humour with commentary on societal issues, particularly regarding women grappling with patriarchal constraints. He also highlighted sharp dialogue and standout performances, especially from Rao and Banerjee, while also praising Bhatia's notable entry. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated 3 out of 5 stars and notes "Original's goodwill, natural bonhomie amongst the actors and wild card entries, Stree 2's spirited return sure has its high points".

Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu provided a more mixed review, remarking that "Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, and gang deliver the laughs, but not much else". He noted that while the film retains the charm of its predecessor, it feels like a factory-made sequel, losing some of the original's nuanced commentary on patriarchy amidst a convoluted plot. Although Rao's performance as Vicky is "delightful", Mitra critiqued the film's over-reliance on franchise complexity, which he felt diminished the "fresh edge" that made the first instalment resonate.

Pratiksha Mishra of The Quint criticized the film's visual effects, arguing that they make the antagonist, Sarkata, appear "less menacing and more cartoonish". Mishra stated that this undermines the intended horror and seriousness of the character's toxic masculinity, diminishing the film's overall scare factor compared to the original, despite the sequel's attempt to heighten the horror by changing the antagonist's gender. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV India offered a similar perspective, giving the film 2.5 out of 5 stars. He remarked that "Shraddha Kapoor’s film is bemusing rather than petrifying," noting that the film attempts to build on the success of its predecessor with a mix of comedy and supernatural elements but ultimately falls short due to its repetitive plot and lack of genuine scares. Chatterjee acknowledged the commendable performances but criticised the film's reliance on predictable humour and outdated portrayals, which he felt left the film feeling stale despite moments of creativity.

External links

• Stree 2 at IMDb
• Stree 2 at Bollywood Hungama