Amar Kaushik Amar Kaushik is an Indian director and actor working in Hindi cinema. He is best known for directing the critical and commercial blockbusters '' Stree'' (2018) and '' Bala'' (2019). Early life Amar Kaushik grew up in Medo, Arunachal Pradesh w ...

Maddock Films Maddock Films Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian film & web series production company founded by film director and producer Dinesh Vijan. Established in 2005, Maddock Films has produced critically and commercially acclaimed Hindi films such as, '' Love A ...

Jio Studios Jio Platforms is an Indian multinational technology company, headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. Established in 2019, it acts as a holding company for India's largest mobile network operator Jio and other dig ...

Maddock Supernatural Universe Maddock Supernatural Universe is an Indian shared universe consisting of Hindi-language supernatural horror comedy films. The film series began in 2018 with the release of '' Stree'', directed by Amar Kaushik and starring Rajkumar Rao and Sh ...

Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987 or 1989Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana. The narrative follows a group of friends who must defeat a malevolent entity abducting the women of

Chanderi Chanderi, is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of the state Madhya Pradesh in India. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri, 37 km from Lalitpur, 55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 46 km f ...

. Kaushik first expressed interest in developing a sequel to ''Stree'' in October 2018. By February 2022, Rao confirmed that the project was in development; however, original writers and producers

Raj & DK Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., collectively known as Raj & DK, are an Indian screenwriter, director and producer duo. They are best known for their offbeat work in Streaming television, Bollywood, and Telugu cinema. The duo created produced, a ...

were no longer involved, having parted ways with producer

Dinesh Vijan Dinesh Vijan is an Indian film producer and director who works in Hindi films. He is the founder of Maddock Films. He gave up his banking job in 2004 to pursue films. He has produced critically and commercially acclaimed films such as '' Stree' ...

over the rights to the franchise. As a result, Bhatt took over as the writer. The sequel was officially announced by Vijan and

Jyoti Deshpande Jyoti Deshpande is an Indian businesswoman and film producer who is currently the CEO of Viacom 18. She was formerly the Group CEO and Managing Director of Eros International. Jyoti is the Co-Chair of the Media & Entertainment Committee, FICCI. ...

in April 2023. Principal photography began in July of the same year, primarily taking place in

Chanderi Chanderi, is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of the state Madhya Pradesh in India. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri, 37 km from Lalitpur, 55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 46 km f ...

and Bihar, and concluded by mid-2024. The film features a musical score composed by

Sachin–Jigar Sachin–Jigar is an Indian music composer duo consisting of Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya. They compose for Hindi and Gujarati language films. They have scored a number of successful soundtracks in recent times. Before working independently ...

, with additional scoring by Justin Varghese. Cinematography was conducted by Jishnu Bhattacharjee, and the editing was handled by Hemanti Sarkar. ''Stree 2'' was theatrically released worldwide on 15 August 2024 and received positive reviews from critics. The film has grossed over ₹714.80 crore at the box office, emerging as the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024 and the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of all time.

Plot

The film opens with the ending scene of the previous instalment, where Stree is about to re-enter

Chanderi Chanderi, is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of the state Madhya Pradesh in India. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri, 37 km from Lalitpur, 55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 46 km f ...

. She notices a statue of herself at the town entrance with the inscription, "o stree raksha karna" (oh woman protect us), and chooses to leave. Years later, Chanderi faces a new threat: a headless ghost named "Sarkata", who abducts women at night and drags them into a nightmarish alternate dimension. The townspeople, unaware of the ghost’s presence, mistakenly believe the missing women have left for better prospects. Vicky, still in love with the Girl with No Name, credited as "She", frequently imagines her appearing before him. Meanwhile, Rudra receives an anonymous letter containing missing pages from the Chanderi Puran and a cryptic message: "vo aayega" (he will come). One night, Bittu's girlfriend, Chitti, is taken by Sarkata. A beggar who witnessed the abduction confirms the ghost's existence. Vicky, Bittu, and Rudra investigate the torn pages of the Chanderi Puran and discover Sarkata’s origin. They find out that Sarkata is the vengeful spirit of Chandrabhan, a former village head who murdered Stree, a courtesan, by beheading her husband and burning her alive. 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 cousin Bhaskar, is lured back to Chanderi under the pretext of a stage play by them (scene from ''

Bhediya Media is a village development committee in Siraha District in the Sagarmatha Zone of south-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of ...

''), but when he discovers the real reason, he reluctantly agrees to assist. While searching for Stree at the old fort, Sarkata attacks and nearly kills Jana, who experiences visions of the alternate dimension where the abducted women are held captive. Believing Jana to be dead, the group is shocked when he revives, and they narrowly escape the fort with Sarkata in pursuit. As Sarkata terrorises the town, She reappears and saves the group by fighting Sarkata using the powers of Stree’s braid attached to her hair. The town’s 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, and She convinces him 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 cut Sarkata's head in half. To trap Sarkata, the group organises a dance performance by Shama, Rudra's girlfriend. During the performance, Sarkata appears, but Vicky fails to decapitate him. Sarkata then possesses all the men present, except for Vicky, Rudra, and Jana. Sarkata subsequently abducts Shama, and the possessed men, including Bittu, begin controlling the town's women. Desperate for a solution, the group follows a clue from the anonymous letter to a mental asylum, where they meet a descendant of Sarkata. The man reveals that Sarkata can only be defeated by a being that is "half of both"—neither fully man nor woman, human nor animal. With this knowledge, She merges her body with Vicky’s, 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 in his werewolf form and attacks Sarkata. However, the battle becomes dire when Sarkata reattaches his head and overpowers Bhaskar. In a final attempt, She calls out to her mother, who is revealed to be Stree. Stree arrives and, with Vicky’s help, defeats Sarkata by beheading him again and dragging his body into the lava, destroying him for good. After Sarkata’s defeat, the women are freed, and the men are released from the ghost’s control. Vicky and his friends are celebrated as heroes. She reveals that she is a ghost and must leave, but not before whispering her name to Vicky. In the woods, Bhaskar, now human, receives clothes from Jana (scene from '' Munjya'') and asks Jana to set him up with She, to which he declines, but Bhaskar continues to plead. In a mid-credits scene, a mysterious pot containing Sarkata's remains reaches the mental institution, where his descendant inhales the flaming smoke from the remains and becomes possessed by the monster, hinting at the return of the terror.

Cast

* Rajkummar Rao as Vicky *

Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987 or 1989Pankaj 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 Mushtaq Khan is an Indian film and television actor and comedian who has worked in several Hindi films in a career spanning three decades. He is best known for his roles in films like ''Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke'' (1993), '' Jodi No.1'' (2001) an ...

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 Aakash Dabhade (born March 8, 1985 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India) is an Indian actor working in the Indian film industry. He is known as a versatile actor with great comic timing, expressions and dancing skills. He gained popularity for his po ...

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 (special appearance) *

Amar Kaushik Amar Kaushik is an Indian director and actor working in Hindi cinema. He is best known for directing the critical and commercial blockbusters '' Stree'' (2018) and '' Bala'' (2019). Early life Amar Kaushik grew up in Medo, Arunachal Pradesh w ...

(cameo in the song "Aaj Ki Raat")

Production

Development

In October 2018, after the success of ''Stree''

Amar Kaushik Amar Kaushik is an Indian director and actor working in Hindi cinema. He is best known for directing the critical and commercial blockbusters '' Stree'' (2018) and '' Bala'' (2019). Early life Amar Kaushik grew up in Medo, Arunachal Pradesh w ...

announced his plans for a sequel. The project has been bankrolled by the duo Raj and DK , along with Dinesh Vijan and would start the shooting in 2019. According to Producer

Dinesh Vijan Dinesh Vijan is an Indian film producer and director who works in Hindi films. He is the founder of Maddock Films. He gave up his banking job in 2004 to pursue films. He has produced critically and commercially acclaimed films such as '' Stree' ...

the sequel would have Shraddha’s backstory, and a few other pertinent questions will be answered in the second instalment. The cast will be retained, with new inclusions and predominantly the narrative would be centred around Raj and Shraddha’s characters. However the scripting continued in the year 2019 and was expected to start the shooting in 2020. In February 2022, Rajkummar Rao confirmed the sequel's development. In October 2022,

Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987 or 1989 The same month, according to reports Amar and his team of writers have finally agreed on a subject for the sequel that takes forward of the first part. In March 2023, the film entered the pre-production stage, with filming scheduled to commence in July 2023. In April 2023,Jio Studios announced their inclusion as the producers for the film. In April 2023, the makers announced that the film would release on 30 August 2024.

Casting

Headlined by the cast of Rajkummar Rao,

Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987 or 1989Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana reprising their roles, ''Stree 2'' is the fifth instalment in Maddock’s Supernatural Universe, which began with ''Stree'' (2018) and was followed by ''Roohi'' (2021), ''Bhediya'' (2022) and ''Munjya'' (2024). Rajkummar reprises his role as Vicky, while Shraddha once again portrays the mysterious character without a name. Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, Aparshakti Khurana, and Sunita Rajwar are back as Rudra, Jana, Bittu, and Jana's mother, respectively. Tamannaah Bhatia is the new addition to the film. Varun Dhawan makes an appearance as Bhediya aka Bhaskar.

Filming

Principal photography commenced on 10 July 2023, with the initial shoot held in

Chanderi Chanderi, is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of the state Madhya Pradesh in India. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri, 37 km from Lalitpur, 55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 46 km f ...

. The first schedule was wrapped up in the same month. The second schedule began in November 2023. The crew moved to Madhya Pradesh for the filming the same month. Shooting took place in Indore in December 2023. In December 2023, a dance number featuring Tamannaah Bhatia was filmed in Bihar choreographed by Vijay Ganguly. Pankaj Tripathi joined sets in January 2024, after completing his work on '' Main Atal Hoon''. Filming took place in an old fort in Bhopal. Varun Dhawan joined the set in February 2024 to shot for his guest appearance in at a studio in Mumbai, reprising his role from the film ''Bhediya''.

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

The film's music was composed by

Sachin–Jigar Sachin–Jigar is an Indian music composer duo consisting of Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya. They compose for Hindi and Gujarati language films. They have scored a number of successful soundtracks in recent times. Before working independently ...

, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, and the background score by Justin Varghese. The first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

titled "Aaj Ki Raat" was released on 24 July 2024. The second single titled "Aayi Nai" was released on 1 August 2024. The third single titled "Tumhare Hi Rahenge Hum" was released on 6 August 2024. The fourth single titled "Khoobsurat" was released on 9 August 2024. The entire album featuring 4 tracks was released on 10 August 2024.

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 crore 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 An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

2024. The day before its release, nearly 3,000 paid preview night shows were held.

Home media

The film will premiere on

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

following its theatrical run.

Reception

Critical response

''Stree 2'' received positive reviews from critics. 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 praised Kapoor and Tripathi as well. While she noted a few flaws, such as a predictable climax, she emphasized 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, emphasizing 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 surprising 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 that the film skillfully blends humor with commentary on societal issues, particularly regarding women grappling with patriarchal constraints. He highlighted sharp dialogue and standout performances, especially from Rao and Banerjee, while also praising Bhatia’s notable entry. Sukanya Verma of ''

Rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...

'' rated 3/5 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 ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'' 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 Saibal Chatterjee is an Indian film critic, an author of a book on Gulzar, co-editor of a book on films; and a documentary scriptwriter. He was a columnist at BBC News, Business Standard, Hindustan Times and Financial Express. And a staff writer of ...

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 criticized the film’s reliance on predictable humor and outdated portrayals, which he felt left the film feeling stale despite moments of creativity.

Box office

''Stree 2'' grossed ₹9.40 crore from paid previews in select theatres the day before its release, breaking the previous record held by ''

Chennai Express ''Chennai Express'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Gauri Khan and Karim Morani, based on a story by K. Subash, with a screenplay written by ...

''. Released alongside '' Vedaa'' and '' Khel Khel Mein'' on

Independence day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

, the film went on to gross ₹64.80 crore, marking the second-highest opening day for a Hindi film, behind only '' Jawan'' (2023). It became the highest opening day of Rao’s career and the second-highest of Kapoor's, behind only '' Saaho'' (2019). ''Stree 2'' surpassed '' Fighter'' to become the highest-opening Hindi film of the year. It also exceeded the opening day collections of the Hindi version of the Telugu film '' Kalki 2898 AD''. Additionally, the film achieved the second-highest opening for a Bollywood film, trailing only ''Jawan'', and grossed $8.9 million on its first day. Outside of India, the film debuted within the United States domestic top 10 chart with an opening gross of $2.57 million. As of 1 September 2024, the film grossed ₹593.09 crore in India and ₹121.71 crore internationally, for a total worldwide gross of ₹714.80 crore. This made it the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024, surpassing '' Fighter'', eighth-highest-grossing Hindi film, twelth-highest-grossing Indian film, the ninth-highest-grossing film in the domestic market and the highest-grossing of both Rao and Kapoor’s careers.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Amar Kaushik 2024 films 2024 comedy horror films 2020s Hindi-language films Indian comedy horror films 2020s Indian films Films set in Madhya Pradesh