It’s not easy to make a genre like horror comedy and it takes great skills to make a film in that genre without being too loud or over the top. Stree is none of that, it’s subtle yet makes your tummy ache with laughter and also manages to spook you!
Directed by Amar Kaushik, the horror comedy stars Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Banerjee and Vijay Raaz among others. The writer of the film, Raj Nidimoru, who I met at the screening during the popcorn break said that Stree is inspired by Nale Ba; which was a legend in his hometown in Karnataka about a woman who knocks on the doors of houses at night and if you answer, you will never be seen again. In the movie, Stree is the story of a bride’s wandering spirit which roams the streets for four days during an annual pooja. She calls out to young men out on the streets at night, and if they make the mistake of turning around she takes them with her, leaving only their clothes behind and they are never to be seen again.
So the story goes like this: Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) is a very talented tailor, but is not happy being a tailor. He does not need to take down measurements of the ladies for the fit of their clothes, all he needs to do is take a look at them and make a mental note of the measurements. The women from his little town, Chanderi, line up at his tailoring shop to get their clothes stitched.
All is going well for Vicky until he meets a beautiful girl (Shraddha Kapoor)who comes from some unknown town to get her ghagra tailored by him. For Vicky, it is “Love at first eyesight” as he says. Vicky is not the same after that, he is so smitten by the girl that he gives in to all her requests even when she comes up with weird requests like a lizard’s tail, a white cat’s hair, and rum! Vicky goes out of his way to get it all but his best friend Bittoo (Aparshakti Khurrana), finds it fishy and is absolutely against this while his other friend Jana (Abhishek Banerjee) supports him.
At the same time, Stree has been out and about the streets of Chanderi, picking up the men who venture out at night. That’s when Bittoo connects the dots and tells Vicky that the girl he is love with could actually be Stree! Well, no spoilers here, to know what the truth is you have to watch the film!
Image Credit: Movie – Stree
Debut director Amar Kaushik has done a brilliant job, not just with the direction but by putting a fantastic cast together! Rajkummar Rao, as usual, is outstanding, he’s a natural. My favorite scene was when Vicky is waiting for Stree for the ‘suhaag raat’. Rajkummar is at his best! He manages to make you roll on the floor laughing and at the same time keeps the feel of fear intact. Another scene I absolutely loved is when Vicky has to look into Stree’s eyes and he does a typical Shah Rukh Khan romance pose while fear is written all over his face!
Shraddha Kapoor looks gorgeous. I’ve never seen anyone carry a nose stud so beautifully. Shraddha looks comfortable in the part she plays. She fits the role of the mysterious girl to the T.
Image Credit: Movie – Stree
Aparshakti steals the show in many of the scenes. While Abhishek makes you crack with his hilarious gestures and expressions. Rajkummar, Aparshakti, and Abhishek seem like real friends in the film, they don’t feel like they’ve been cast especially for the film. Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra bhaiya; the man who knows it all needs some seetis!
Image Credit: jagranimages.com
Raj and Dk also need a special mention and a huge round of applause for the dialogue writing in the film. My favorite was “Stree kabhi force nahi karti hai.” A huge message sent in just a simple dialogue. There are many more such quirky dialogues which will not only make you laugh but also make you think.
To sum it up, Stree is very well cast, well shot, well scripted and very, very fresh. The film is full of laughs and scares which has been well executed. It’s horror comedy done absolutely right!
Theater mein Stree ko dekhne zaroor jaana! ‘Pleaaze’ definitely go watch Stree!
