Stree 2, the sequel to the 2018 horror-comedy that kickstarted a series of supernatural tales from Maddock Films, extends the gender-war narrative featuring a vengeful female spirit in a more physical sense but fails to elevate it as a ghostly battle of the sexes. The humor remains consistent, the entertainment value is generally high, and the four lead male actors deliver solid performances, keeping up with the whimsical twists of the story, which jumps from one event to another in an attempt to create a sense of momentum.
If you watch closely, you may notice a repetitive and sometimes tiring cycle. Could this be
Stree 2’s unique selling point? Is the film’s core madness intriguing enough to compensate for its lack of real scares? It’s hard to say. Stree 2 is more puzzling than terrifying.
The Repetitive Cycle: Is Stree 2’s Madness Its Unique Selling Point?
The eccentric group – Vicky, the ladies’ tailor (Rajkummar Rao), his two slacker friends Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana) and Jana (Abhishek Banerjee), along with Chanderi’s librarian and occultist Rudra Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) – join forces with the mysterious Girl with No Name and No Backstory (Shraddha Kapoor), the very woman who terrified them in Stree, to confront a new, even more malevolent force.
Producer Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films and director Amar Kaushik return for Stree 2, with
Niren Bhatt taking over writing duties based on a concept by Raj & DK, who created the original film. While the spirit of the original is intact, the zest seems to be missing.
You can watch the Official trailer of Stree Movie here-
No matter how unbelievable things get in Stree 2, the audience is expected to go along with it, accepting that such events could occur during a major religious festival culminating in a ‘maha puja’ at Chanderi’s temple and fairground. After all, this is a horror-comedy film set in a small central Indian town steeped in history, mythology, and folklore, where suspending disbelief is only natural.
In the film’s underground setting, where rock formations hang upside down and a river of molten lava encircles an enclosure, numerous young women dressed in white are held captive by the Sarkata Purush (the headless man) who seeks more than just retribution.
Patriarchy and the Headless Horror: Stree 2’s Symbolic Struggles
The clueless foursome, led by Vicky, decides to take on the towering headless monster, whose terrifying appearance is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of the townspeople, both men and women. However, this time, it is the women – ‘modern-thinking girls’ – who are in danger.
We return to where we started – the headless figure in Stree 2 symbolizes the ugly face of patriarchy, aiming to crush feminist resistance through a combination of intimidation and hauntings, using its hair to ensnare girls who dare to defy ‘acceptable’ behavior.
Oddly enough, aside from its first appearance in the film’s opening sequence, the floating head is not genuinely frightening.
Humor and Insensitivity: Where Stree 2 Stumbles and Shines
Stree 2 is certainly laugh-out-loud funny, but the film gets stuck in a loop, perfectly encapsulated in an overly long and predictable climactic battle where Vicky and the girl he is infatuated with, despite knowing nothing about her, venture into the cave where the embodiment of evil is hiding.
The humor in Stree 2 is sometimes quite basic. The confusion between Bittu’s girlfriend’s name, Chitti, and a chitthi (letter) that Rudra Bhaiya receives causes much amusement among the friends. There’s also some simple wordplay involving ‘disha batani.’ But one standout meta joke hits the mark – when Rudra mentions he is an old man, someone retorts, ‘Aap Atal ho.’
Stree 2 takes a wrong turn in a scene set in a mental asylum. One would have thought that Hindi cinema had moved beyond its outdated portrayals of insanity. The depiction of the institution’s inmates is downright offensive, and not even a special appearance by a Bollywood A-lister can erase the stain left by this glaring insensitivity.
For a film that relies on quirks and surprises, Stree 2 feels rather sluggish and forced. The attempt to compensate for the loss of novelty by reversing the gender of the ghost haunting Chanderi doesn’t quite succeed.
A direct connection between Bhediya and Stree 2, both directed by Amar Kaushik as part of Maddock Films’ expanding universe of supernatural films, is made through the appearance of the creature from Bhediya in both the climax and a post-credits scene. These subtle nods are aimed at dedicated horror fans.
While Stree 2 is drawn out and often puerile, it isn’t a complete disaster, thanks to moments of sharp comedy and the sincerity of the performances. The lead actors fully embrace the film’s zaniness, displaying a greater commitment than in the original. If only Stree 2 had matched the energy of its cast, it could have been a runaway success. Instead, it falls short because it sticks too closely to the formula without pushing boundaries.
Did Stree 2 scare you or make you laugh? Let’s discuss! Share your reactions and opinions in the comments.
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