Here is the complete film review of ‘Stree 2‘, directed by Amar Kaushik starring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurrana. Read on…
Overall Rating : 3.5/5
Plot : After the events of Stree, the town of Chanderi is being haunted again. This time, women are mysteriously abducted by a terrifying headless entity, ‘Sarkata’. Once again, it’s up to Vicky, his friends and obviously ‘Stree’ to save their town and loved ones.
Following the eerie footsteps of it’s predecessor, Stree which became a blockbuster and gave horror-comedies a thriving playground, Stree 2 starts with a scene where a girl who is shown smoking during the night is kidnapped by a headless entity into the oblivion. Sarkata, as it is called, is the new menace in the town of Chanderi and this time, it is trouble for the women, especially the modern ones, not the men.
What We Loved : Personally, I really liked the concept and the overcoat layer of ‘Bhediya’ by Maddock Films which was also directed by Amar Kaushik. From the scares to the laughs, everything was present in the perfect capacity. The inclusion of Varun Dhawan as ‘Bhediya’ as one of the forces to fight the evil works wonders in Stree 2. Also, his adorable banter with Jana played by Abhishek Banerjee is fresh as ever. Not to forget, his newly found love for Shraddha’s character in Stree 2 would leave all weavers of conspiracy theories and fan-theories go mad!
What We Liked : Rajkummar Rao is back as Vicky and it feels like he started from where he exactly left. His comic-timing, his innocent love for Shraddha’s character, his inexperience of having a partner which comes out as cute and his dialogue-delivery come together to give us the perfect nostalgia on which Stree rode. While the audience was expecting ‘Munjya’ to show up any moment, we see Akshay Kumar entering the Maddock horror-comedy universe in a character of a demented and deranged middle-aged man living in Bhopal who knows a lot about Sarkata. It is one of the most entertaining highlights of the movie. His scenes with Abhishek Banerjee in the mental-asylum are unmissable.
Director’s Hat : Amar Kaushik is a promising director who adds elements of feminism, crimes against women, the approach of men towards the women, how they are mistreated and the lives of many women in the rural villages and districts in our country to the T adding entertainment-parameters to it thus making it not preachy. In Stree 2, Amar tries his best to give us a non-stop entertainment ride which might not be consistent but definitely makes sure that things get going and there is no pause for the audience and their minds to wander off somewhere else.
What We Didn’t Like : Aparshakti Khurrana as Bittu is the weakest link of the movie. His performance is below average and he keeps giving a reactive expression to each and every dialogue which only gives cringe. We expected better from him and this role is forgettable to the best. Also, the VFX sequences of the film’s climax are strictly average and lack the scale a movie like Stree 2 should have had. Our most major problem with Stree 2 is that Shraddha’s talent is wasted and emphasis is paid more on her looks and the ex-factor rather than the writing. She looks stunning but as Stree was all about Shraddha, we missed that power in Stree 2.
Performances : Rajkummar Rao is brilliant once again as Vicky where he mixes his adorable energy with his goofball antics snowballed in rib-tickling dialogues and his quest for love. Shraddha Kapoor looks the part and her scenes where she takes the lead against the evil are her best in the film and we wish there were more of them rather than she guiding Rao’s character to finish off things. Pankaj Tripathi is consistent and reliable as always and his love-angle adds an interesting layer to his character. Abhishek Banerjee does very well in all his scenes and he indeed understood the project to the T. His scenes with Akshay Kumar are unmissable and he shines equally alongside Kumar. Not to forget, Varun Dhawan as Bhediya gives us a unique joy when he makes an entry and an exit both.
Conclusion : Stree 2 is enjoyable and works well to set the proceedings for the Maddock’s Horror-comedy Universe to take off. We understand as reviewers that the 1st part of any franchise will remain the best but the fans of this Universe wont be disappointed for sure. It is a guaranteed enjoyable watch at the theatres which you can enjoy with your complete family. And if you are a binafide Rajkummar and Bhediya fan, you must not miss it.
