Stree 2 Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Banerjee, Askhay Kumar, Varun Dhawan
Crew:
Written by Niren Bhatt
Music by Sachin–Jigar (songs), Justin Varghese (score)
Edited by Hemanti Sarkar
Cinematography by Jishnu Bhattacharjee
Directed by Amar Kaushik
Produced by Dinesh Vijan, Jyoti Deshpande
Stree 2 Movie Rating: 3/5
After the huge success and cult following earned by Stree, the makers are back with sequel Stree 2. The first movie with group of losers trying to solve huge mystery in Chanderi village has struck a chord with audiences big time. With huge plans to integrate Stree characters into Maddock Supernatural Universe, the makers have brought in Bhediya featuring Varun Dhawan character as well into the screenplay. The movie opened to huge reception from audiences on 15th August 2024. Let’s discuss about the film in detail.
Plot:
After Stree leaves Chanderi village, a beheaded monster starts abducting “modern” women. Vicky(Rajkummar Rao) is now regarded as the saviour of the town and he is respected heavily. He keeps thinking about Girl(Shraddha Kapoor) and illusionating about her. Rudra(Pankaj Tripathi) receives torn pages of Chanderi puran. They talk about the origin of Sarkata(beheaded monster) and his fight with Stree. Sarkata abducts Bittu(Aparsakthi Khurrana)’s girl friend. Now, the group invites Jana(Abhishek Banerjee) for help to put an end to “Sarkate ka Aatank”.
Analysis:
Rajkummar Rao is once again in top form in this film. He has been able to charm us to believe him as small town boy Vicky. And his comic timing is on spot with his emotional acting prowess. Shraddha Kapoor got a huge mass entry and she is able to pull it off with her screen presence. Pankaj Tripati and Abhishek Banerjee also found moments to shine. But Aparshakti Khurrana did not find many moments compared to others. Stree 2 shines in the moments when the group comes together once again.
Among cameos, Varun Dhawan as Bhediya is good in few portions. Mostly, makers used VFX for his portions and hence, we cannot really judge based on that. Still, his presence has added much needed value to the proceedings. Akshay Kumar’s cameo starts off funny but then fizzles down. He seemed a little miscast in this one. May be his return for a bigger and meater role could be more thought out. The movie keeps things simple and tries focus on carrying forward the best from the first film.
Also, while including all other important characters from Maddock Supernatural Universe, they did not go overboard. They did not try to let these characters feel like rushed into the screenplay for effect. Stree 2 feels like first Avengers film where major superheroes come together for the first time in MCU. But here using them for cameos and songs did work out in keeping it grounded. With enough love from the audiences, the makers need to deliver even better films.
Stree 2 has underwhelming aspects like dragging out a simple plot in second half. The first hour feels breezy and funny but second hour dips. While the gags work big time, the horror element doesn’t as much as it did in the first one. Amar Kaushik proved to be a clever and level headed director without going overboard. Still, some tacky VFX moments and stretched out climax does act as roadblocks. Hopefully, the makers will rectify those mistakes. On the whole, Stree 2 ends up being an enjoyable fun film at theatres.
Positives:
Rajkummar Rao’s performance
Gags with Abhishek Banerjee character
Ensemble Cast chemistry
Shraddha Kapoor screen presence
Background Score
Negatives:
Stretched out cameos
Tacky VFX
Draggy Second Hour
Over-the-top climax
Stree 2 Movie Bottom-line: Fun to watch in theatres.
