New Delhi :Is it one too many? Not quite
yet, but *Stree 2*, the sequel to the 2018 horror-comedy, continues Maddock
Films' saga of supernatural tales. This time, the film advances the gender
battle led by a vengeful female spirit, but while it takes some physical aspects
further, it falls short in its eerie "battle of the sexes." The jokes
come quickly, and while the humor holds up for much of the movie, the four main
male actors, though competent, get swept up in the chaotic, fantastical
storyline that leaps from scene to scene, creating an illusion of momentum.
However, on closer inspection,
*Stree 2* often feels like it's spinning its wheels, going around in endless
circles. Could this be the film's unique charm? Is the inherent absurdity
enough to make up for the lack of real scares? It's hard to say. What is clear
is that *Stree 2* is more confusing than terrifying.
The film follows an oddball
group—Vicky (Rajkummar Rao), a ladies' tailor; his two friends, Bittu
(Aparshakti Khurana) and Jana (Abhishek Banerjee); and Rudra Bhaiya (Pankaj
Tripathi), a librarian and occult expert—who team up with the mysterious
Shraddha Kapoor's character (who they once feared) to battle a new, even more
vicious evil. While the original spirit remains, the film seems to have lost its
spark.
Despite the outlandish plot
points, audiences are asked to suspend disbelief as events unfold during a
major religious festival. This is a horror movie, after all, set in a small
Indian town steeped in mythology, where the lines between reality and folklore
blur. Yet, the spectacle of the headless Sarkata Purush (Decapitated Man), who
holds women captive in an underground lair, feels more ridiculous than
frightening.
The group, led by Vicky,
confronts this towering monster, but this time it's modern-minded women who are
in danger. The villain represents an exaggerated face of patriarchy, aiming to
suppress feminist defiance with both physical and supernatural threats. Yet,
the supposedly terrifying floating head doesn't evoke much fear beyond its first
appearance.
*Stree 2* delivers plenty of
laughs, but it eventually gets stuck in a repetitive loop. The climactic
battle, where Vicky and Shraddha Kapoor's character face off against evil,
drags on, offering little by way of surprises. The humor often feels basic,
with jokes about Bittu's girlfriend's name, "Chitti," and wordplay
around "disha batani." A rare clever moment comes when someone refers
to Rudra Bhaiya as "Atal," a meta-joke that lands well.
A particularly cringeworthy
moment occurs in a mental asylum scene, where outdated portrayals of mental
illness make for an insensitive and offensive sequence. Even a cameo by a
Bollywood A-lister can't salvage this misstep.
In the larger Maddock Films
universe, *Stree 2* connects with *Bhediya* through a shared post-credits
scene. These moments seem aimed at fans of supernatural films, but the movie
itself struggles to maintain momentum.
While *Stree 2* isn’t a
complete disaster, it feels overly long and occasionally puerile. Flashes of
clever comedy and strong performances prevent it from being a total failure.
The cast fully embraces the zaniness, and they are clearly more comfortable
with the material than they were in the original. Unfortunately, the film
itself doesn’t match their enthusiasm, failing to break new ground and instead
offering more of the same.
