Stree 2 (2024) Movie Drinking Game & Review
Down a Shot: each time Vicky snaps in and out of his hallucinatory episodes/romantic interludes
Down a Shot: each time Vicky’s dad decides to inappropriately discuss his son’s virginity with the locals
Down a Shot: each time Shraddha Kapoor whips her plait back and forth
By: Vidal D’costa (Two Beers) –
It’s a time of celebration for the womenfolk of Chanderi who are holding a festival in honour of the apparition of a wronged woman, aptly named Stree, who brought reform to their small town (and also once haunted it). However, the ghost of misogyny past rears its head literally and soon enough, Chanderi is looming under the threat of yet another supernatural entity. This one doesn’t like women who sport plunging necklines, smoke cigarettes in public, enjoy themselves at raves, women with access to education, contemporary women, or any sort of woman at all, and arrives in town with the single intention of humiliating and holding the emboldened women of Chanderi captive.
As the incels multiply and the atmosphere grows ominous and particularly regressive towards the female residents, heartbroken tailor and still delulu ‘love-holic’ Vicky who has been appointed saviour and protector of the village (alongside the spirit of Stree herself, of course) is the need of the hour, and together with his army consisting of old and newly returned friends alike, he must act fast before this headless fiend sets the menfolk in Chanderi back 200 years.
A Toast
Much like the West can boast of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, we Indians can boast about much-beloved horror comedies such as the Stree franchise! Stree 2 especially pulls one in with its ‘choti’ (braid) i.e. the thoroughly absorbing screenplay that builds on the lore of the first installation and mixes together suspension of disbelief and suspenseful moments for a satisfying and more rambunctious sequel.
The sequel also cranks the jump scare quotient up to 11 in the first half, with the character design resembling a monster straight out of a B-grade horror movie and some good cinematography providing even more jolting moments. It also pieces the jigsaw puzzle together and provides answers to unanswered questions that haunted viewers since the first outing. Furthermore, the unsettling and sparse use of red lighting every time Vicky’s unnamed crush shows up out of the blue (or should I say ‘out of the red’) and leaves him questioning whether ‘this is the real-life or just fanta-stree?’ heighten this sense of eeriness.
The movie also acts as an obvious clap back at the likes of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, particularly in tackling misogyny instead of glorifying the topic via a grotesque baddie who just makes your blood boil! It serves as a rather in-your-face depiction of the incel virus too, cleverly depicting it as worse than any zombie outbreak and one which is highly contagious, even transmittable via sexist uncles or egotistic men who feel entitled to a woman. Taking it a step further, the second half also portrays incel culture as a literal hereditary curse through a brief and unexpected cameo at a sanatorium that not only helps move things along but simultaneously felt like an odd homage to the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise as well as reminiscent to the cameo by Vijay Raaz as the dodgy Shastri from the first instalment (this character receives an honorary mention in the sequel). Some very tongue-in-cheek in-jokes and meta references to the guest stars’ filmography complement the handful of cameos which not only add a dash of star power but are pivotal to proceedings.
Considering it’s a horror comedy, Stree 2 would also feel incomplete without the comic timing of a cast that gives it their all- comprising Rajkummar Rao as Vicky making viewers fall all over in love with his wide-eyed ‘Puss in Boot eyes’ (unlike audiences however, the villain is immune to this same charm!), Shraddha Kapoor playing the unnamed and ‘very demure very mindful very deadly’ sorceress with a PhD in black magic who charmed her way into Vicky’s heart in the first outing and returns this time to ooze girl power as well as turns heads with her impeccable control over a single braid which she weaponizes against the antagonist, Abhishek Banerjee who deserves all the flowers for yet again turning in a compelling, sympathetic performance as the gifted PTSD afflicted IAS aspirant Jana, with Pankaj Tripathi rounding out the cast in the role of Rudra, the alcohol-swigging and geeky book store owner/librarian/historian who receives cryptic letters from an unknown source. Tripathi especially is allotted a lot more screentime this time around, as well as the best one-liners which he delivers in his signature rib-tickling manner. The ethereal Tamannaah Bhatia deserves a special mention, too, for serving Madhuri Dixit vibes in her cameo.
Comical situations such as Vicky spouting lines in inimitable ‘Bollywood massy hero’ fashion to spook the villain into submission or the ‘melon cutting rehearsal’ allow the cast to further flex their comedic chops. There are also a few moments which are guaranteed to leave one moist-eyed, which is a testament to the prowess of the writer(s) in exploring the character dynamics or their arcs fully and thus, one can’t help but feel attached to the gang all over again. Lastly, the background score and a ballad that highlights the yearning and chemistry between Vicky and his mysterious ladylove also enhance the movie.
While the pacing of the final act feels a tad stretched, I’m compelled to forgive it nonetheless since the team behind this movie left no stone unturned in pulling out all the stops and connecting loose threads to almost all the other movies and characters within the Maddock Supernatural Universe.
Beer Two
Aparshakti Khurana is a tad hammy/whiny in his role as Vicky’s sidekick and fellow hopeless romantic bestie Bittu, and so I was glad when they finally gagged him up in the second half!
Verdict
Overall Stree 2 ups the game in the horror comedy genre. I haven’t laughed out this loud in a while and neither has my heart jumped into my throat several times before, and considering that the first outing in the franchise beckons for a revisit every Halloween, it’s not entirely surprising that the sequel also follows suit with its high rewatch value.
