Director Amar Kaushik’s decline has been steady and noticeable since Stree (2018). Aided by Raj & DK’s stellar screenplay and Sumit Aroraa’s clincher lines, Kaushik’s directorial debut was one of the most pleasantly surprising Hindi films of the year. Observant, sly, political, and yet never skimping on the laughs. As Kaushik’s budgets have snowballed along with the box office receipts with films like Bala (2019) and Bhediya (2022), the rakish boy-like nature of Kaushik’s films has only increased, minus introspection. It might not be apparent from his track record, but each of Kaushik’s films has missed Raj & DK’s wicked observation more and more.
And it’s never more apparent than in the treatment of the “item number” of the two films – performed by Nora Fatehi in the original, and Tamannah Bhatia here. The first film adds a little touch at the end of the song “Kamariya” – where Fatehi is surrounded by bouncers if/when the boys try to get handsy, also leaving at the end of the song after gesturing her time is up. It’s a tiny thing, but the irony of a nautch girl in a film talking about women empowerment isn’t lost on Raj & DK. So, they include this extraneous detail offering dignity to the sundry character. In Stree 2, Bhatia’s special appearance wears the clothes of a “plot point” to draw the antagonist (Sarkata) out in the open, but the intent isn’t well thought-out. Bhatia’s Shama – another nautch girl living around Chanderi, introduced as Rudra’s (Pankaj Tripathi) love interest – exists only to be exploited for her looks, and her screams as she’s taken like countless other girls in the film.
Stree – the spirit who would haunt the men in Chanderi – has left town after being exorcised at the end of the first film by Vicky (Rajkummar Rao). This results in the spirit of Udaybhan – the sarpanch of Chanderi, who violated her and in turn had his head chopped off – returning with a vengeance. He attacks the “progressive” women in town, and takes them to another realm that looks inspired by the upside down from Stranger Things. The responsibility falls on Vicky, Jana (Abhishek Banerjee), Rudra and the mysterious character played by Shraddha Kapoor.
To its credit, Stree 2 isn’t short on laughs. There are many, many jokes, and a lot of them land thanks to a cast that is vigilant of not coasting on the laurels of the first film. Rao has perfected the art of sincerely channelling the lovesick man, and being at the receiving end of merciless slaps. Tripathi, who has been off-colour in his last few films and shows, brings back Rudra’s deadpan that led him to such stratospheric heights. Aparshakti Khurrana – an actor who clearly deserves more than he gets – is on solid footing as Bittu, especially during a gag where characters confuse Chitti (Bittu’s girlfriend in the film, played by Anya Singh) and chitthi (letter). Rudra has to sing Chitthi Aayi Hai and Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan Ve – to illustrate the difference, and solve the confusion. Banerjee, who seems to be caught in a rut within the cinematic universe, playing the slow-to-realise Jana could use a few surprising flourishes from writer Niren Bhatt. Kapoor as the unnamed character, has scant impact on the proceedings, just like the first film.
A major problem with Stree 2 – and the larger Maddock supernatural universe (as the giddy fans and the film’s publicists are calling it) – is that it’s a film of ideas, desperately trying to become a spectacle. Unlike Stree (2018), which was more introspective, sly and intimate in its setting, the sequel’s socio-political commentary feels significantly more flat. Stree 2 also dials up its propulsive background score and VFX use to mimic a franchise film, which always has one eye on the Rs 300-crore box office bounty.
Two special appearances in the film don’t have the impact they probably intended to. Especially the one with Varun Dhawan (hardly a spoiler, given Maddock’s well-advertised attempts to connect the films), whose werewolf appearing in a key scene during a fight between spirits, never makes any logical sense. What is Sarkata’s objective – with the women he’s abducting – is left vague, by simply citing a ‘mahavinash’ (apocalypse). A character fully made from VFX, Sarkata never quite has the rich history that the first film afforded to the titular female spirit.
By the standard Hindi films have set for themselves in the last few years, Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 is not bad. In fact, for something birthed inside a dishonest cinematic universe, it’s surprisingly robust for a long time. It’s well-acted for the most part, and is competently put together. But the social messaging doesn’t quite have the zing of the first part. It’s what usually happens when a producer takes over the reins of a film, from writers, creative producers. A mediocre outing simply won’t cut it for the Stree films, especially after we’ve tasted blood with that first part.
