Film Review: Stree 2 [Female]

Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee

Director: Amar Kaushik

The much awaited sequel to Kaushik‘s popular 2018 horror-comedy ‘Stree’ finally released to audiences worldwide. The film was one of the most anticipated movies of the year and it did not disappoint, making a mark as one of the highest grossing Bollywood films at the global box office.

Those who have watched ‘Stree’ will know that the film left many a loose end untied, even though the terrifying ghost of Stree was subdued. ‘Stree 2’ does well in tying up the loose ends and giving answers to the questions left hanging in its prequel.

MORE LIKE THIS…

Even though set in a similar premise, ‘Stree 2’ distances itself from its prequel through some key plotlines. Instead of a female ghost terrifying the town, this film brings a new, male ghost – called Sarkata [the beheaded one] – who kidnaps the women of the village, instead of the men. Woven with a social message of the importance of respecting women, the film does well in showing the social consequences of women’s safety being compromised in a society, without seeming preachy.

In ‘Stree’, Kapoor’s character is seen leaving Vicky’s (Rao) village in a bus and vanishing, raising questions about who she is. ‘Stree 2’ sees Vicky heartbroken and yearning for his ladylove, from whom he has not heard for many years now. But just as Sarkata’s activities start to haunt the town, Kapoor makes a reappearance, reigniting Vicky’s hopes once again. With her aid, the old gang – Rudra (Tripathi), Jana (Banerjee) and Bittu (Khurana) – are seen getting back together to fight against the evil force. While researching for a permanent solution to Sarkata’s tyranny, they also uncover forgotten truths about Stree’s past.

MORE LIKE THIS…

The film offers a good balance of comedy and horror, with some great comic timings from all actors, some great music tracks and dance numbers (one featuring the talented Tamanna Bhatia). A point of interest for fans of the Maddock Horror Universe might be the incorporation of characters and plot elements from ‘Bhediya’ and ‘Munjya’ – with actor Varun Dhawan from the former making an appearance for a brief cameo.

This horror-comedy is definitely an entertaining sequel which nicely wraps up the ‘Stree’ plot, with many laughs and jump scares along the way.