Years after ladies’ tailor Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) and his friends Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana) and Jana (Abhishek Banerjee) and mentor Rudra Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) helped ward off the Stree’s curse, a more menacing threat has emerged. Ironically, the same ‘Stree’ might be answers to their problems but she is naturally nowhere to be found.
In the mix is also the nameless woman Vicky is charmed by played by Shraddha Kapoor who seemingly vanished into thin air at the end of the original. The sequel sees her in more force, ready to fight ‘Sarkata’ with everything she’s got. For her (and for Bittu in a way), the fight is personal.
Sarkata’s modus operandi is chilling and predictable – he abducts ‘forward-thinking women’. The way the film tackles how even the simple act of using a cellphone is ‘rebellion’ in a patriarchal world – how inescapable the need for rebellion is – is commendable. It also has one of the best ‘recap’ sequences I’ve seen in a while. Stree, for me, is still the highlight of the Dinesh Vijan horror universe and that belief was further cemented by the sight of a packed theatre at 11 pm. The hype for Stree 2 is massive.
For the most part, this hype is well-founded. In the first part, the film is uproariously funny. From Vicky’s ‘ek tarfa pyaar’ to Bittu’s love story to Jana’s return, almost every single joke lands. It helps, of course, that the cast is full of actors known for their comedic timing. Rajkummar Rao gets to be his kookiest self, using his physical language to make even the most ‘dad jokes’ to land. He is perfectly complemented by the ever-suffering Jana who Banerjee plays with an almost annoying innocence. Then there is Khurana who can make even a broken heart look like the best setup for a joke.
A comedy of errors between a woman named Chitti and a letter (chitthi) had no business being that funny.
Pankaj Tripathi returns in the role of the resident bookkeeper and his deadpan comic timing is a good balance for the trio. For the most part, these ‘heroes’ of Chanderi act like absolute headless chickens. While everyone turns to Vicky for help, his hero’s journey primarily consists of false bravado and that’s an interesting turn from the savior complex arc that still permeates the Stree franchise.
The only respite is that we get to see Shraddha Kapoor engage in more combat (when the fantastic four aren’t at the forefront).
In the second half, however, the gags start to fall short – the film stars going for low-hanging fruit instead of focusing on smart writing. A sequence in a mental health facility is played for laughs but is plain problematic – the cameo shouldn’t allow you to gloss over that aspect. The best part about the film’s second half is its social messaging,
Stree has always had a biting conversation about gender at its heart and here it’s portrayed through how easily Sarkata manages to radicalise the men of Chanderi, making them self-proclaimed protectors of ‘honour’. From taking girls out of schools to locking women inside the house to ‘protect them’ from a bigger, scarier man, the commentary is still stark. It’s Kens returning to Barbieland with a new understanding of patriarchy but it feels much more sinister because of how timely the conversation feels.
It’s also a half-decent attempt on the makers’ part to make the women responsible for their own emancipation. But this difference in the film’s two halves is jarring – in the second half, the film’s problems with pacing become evident. At times it feels like the film is going in circles – the climax soon becomes predictable.
There are naturally crossovers in Stree 2 as well, ones that have been hinted at in a previous film but I couldn't help but wonder why the ghost in Roohi isn't a more intrinsic part of the 'Stree' saga. Considering the themes explored in Stree and Roohi, that would be the most natural crossover.
The biggest issue with Stree 2, however, is the VFX. Sarkata stands for toxic masculinity and the dire consequences of leaving something like that unchecked and that is quite a menacing evil but the VFX makes him feel almost cartoon-ish. Understandably, Stree 2 is meant to be a movie for all ages but the ‘cartoon’ quality comes from the VFX being shabby rather than feeling intentional.
As a result, the sequel simply isn’t as scary as the original which is a pity because switching the sex of the antagonist in the themes that Stree operates with should’ve had the opposite effect. Stree 2 is still immensely watchable and is a theatre viewing experience I have missed – go with friends, go with family.
As the Dinesh Vijan horror universe churns out one character after another, I was afraid a fatigue would’ve set in but kudos to the makers because even when the next films rolls out, I’ll be on my way to the theatres.
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