It
looks
like
Stree
2
has
been
granted
a
bigger
budget
for
VFX
and
sound,
bringing
with
it
a
promise
of
more
chills,
observes
Deepa
Gahlot.
Perhaps
anticipating
the
success
of
2018’s
Stree,
like
every
smart
film-maker
today,
a
possibility
of
a
sequel
was
built
into
the
ending
of
the
film.
Stree
2
comes
six
years
later,
enough
time
to
get
fans
excited,
but
also
too
much
of
a
gap,
for
those
with
short
memories.
The
original,
written
by
Raj
and
DK,
and
directed
by
Amar
Kaushik,
started
the
horror
universe
of
Producer
Dinesh
Vijan.
The
latest
in
the
series
Munjya
has
proved
successful
too,
so
there
was
always
a
demand
for
desi
horror,
based
on
village
folk
tales
and
beliefs,
that
had
not
been
adequately
addressed.
Stree
cleverly
tapped
into
the
feminist
mood
too,
by
setting
it
in
the
town
of
Chanderi,
terrorised
by
a
female
spook,
for
four
days
each
year,
during
an
annual
pooja.
During
this
time,
men
are
afraid
of
stepping
out
of
their
homes
to
escape
the
ghoul
on
the
prowl.
The
spirit
calls
out
to
men
walking
down
dark
streets,
and
if
they
turn,
they
vanish,
leaving
just
a
pile
of
their
clothes
behind.
But
if
they
have
painted
O
Stree
kal
aana
on
their
walls,
they
are
spared.
Vicky
(Rajkummar
Rao),
a
tailor
and
cool
dude
of
Chanderi,
thinks
he
is
too
rational
to
bother
about
these
superstitions,
till
he
is
confronted
with
the
existence
of
Stree.
He
is
besotted
by
a
strange
unnamed
woman
(Shraddha
Kapoor),
who
appears
and
disappears
suddenly,
does
not
have
a
cell
phone
and
won’t
enter
the
town’s
temple.
When
she
asks
him
to
get
her
some
odd
things
like
a
white
cat’s
hair
and
a
lizard’s
tail,
Vicky’s
friends,
Bittu
(Aparshakti
Khurana)
and
Jana
(Abhishek
Banerjee)
are
convinced
this
nameless
girlfriend
is
a
witch.
They
seek
the
help
of
the
town’s
know-all
bookseller,
Rudra
(Pankaj
Tripathi).
The
tone
of
the
film
mixed
mockery
of
superstition
about
chudailS,
with
horror,
and
the
film
worked.
It
ended
with
the
unnamed
woman
leaving
with
the
braid
that
held
the
spirit’s
power,
and
in
Stree
2,
that
force
is
unleashed
again.
In
the
sequel,
directed
by
Amar
Kaushik,
the
vengeful
spirit
is
back,
along
with
the
mysterious
nameless
woman.
From
glimpses
of
the
teaser,
the
horror
has
been
heightened
—
shots
of
fire
and
blood,
footsteps
of
the
ghost
with
feet
turned
inside
out
(according
to
Indian
folklore,
the
feet
are
a
way
to
recognise
a
dayan),
dagger-like
nails
of
a
woman,
and
a
lot
more
terrified
screaming,
spine-chilling
shrieks
and
full-blown
panic.
Varun
Dhawan,
who
had
played
Bhediya
in
the
2022
horror
universe,
is
reportedly
making
a
guest
appearance,
along
with
Tamannaah
Bhatia,
to
add
some
zing
to
the
returning
cast.
Vicky,
who
had
rid
the
town
of
the
spirit
in
the
last
film,
is
called
upon
to
repeat
the
feat.
In
the
teaser,
he
is
seen
requesting
Stree,
not
to
take
his
clothes
off
when
he
turns.
‘Friends?’
he
asks
hopefully.
The
spirit’s
reply
will
be
be
seen
in
the
film.
It
looks
like
the
film
has
been
granted
a
bigger
budget
for
VFX
and
sound,
bringing
with
it
a
promise
of
more
chills.
Stree
2
will
release
this
Independence
Day.
