Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (transl. Woman 2: Terror of the Headless) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Niren Bhatt and produced jointly by Maddock Films and Jio Studios. It is the fourth instalment in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe and serves as the sequel to Stree (2018). The film stars Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana as a group of friends who must defeat Sarkata, a headless malevolent entity abducting the women of Chanderi. Kaushik expressed interest in developing a sequel to Stree in October 2018. By February 2022, Rao confirmed that the project was in development, but original writers and producers Raj & DK were no longer involved, having parted ways with producer Dinesh Vijan over disputes regarding the rights to the franchise. As a result, Bhatt took over as the writer. The sequel was officially announced by Dinesh Vijan and Jyoti Deshpande in April 2023. Principal photography began in July of the same year, primarily taking place in Chanderi and Bihar, and concluded by mid-2024. The soundtrack album was composed by Sachin–Jigar, while the background score was composed by Justin Varghese. The cinematography and editing were handled by Jishnu Bhattacharjee and Hemanti Sarkar, respectively. Stree 2 was theatrically released worldwide on 15 August 2024, coinciding with Independence Day, and received positive reviews from critics. The film grossed over ₹837 crore (US$97 million) – ₹874.58 crore (US$100 million) worldwide, emerging as the third highest-grossing Indian film and the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024, as well as the sixth highest-grossing Hindi film and the eleventh highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

Plot

Following the events of the first film, Stree leaves Chanderi after seeing her statue. Years later, a new threat emerges in the form of Sarkata, a headless ghost who abducts women at night. The townspeople believe the missing women have left for better opportunities. Rudra receives an anonymous letter containing missing pages from the Chanderi Puran with the message "Vo Aayega" (He will come). He warns Vicky, but Vicky dismisses his concerns. One night, Bittu's girlfriend Chitti is taken by Sarkata. A beggar who witnessed the incident confirms the ghost's existence. The mysterious woman from the first film, known as "She," briefly appears to Vicky and informs him about Sarkata. Vicky, Bittu, and Rudra examine the torn pages of the Chanderi Puran and learn that Sarkata is the vengeful spirit of Chandrabhan, a former village head who was an alcoholic womaniser. He despised progressive women and murdered Stree when she was a courtesan, beheaded her husband, and burned them alive in front of their daughter. Stree later returned as a spirit, killed Chandrabhan and his associates, and buried their bodies. Now, after Stree's departure from Chanderi, Sarkata has returned to target progressive women. Realising they need Stree's help, the group seeks out Jana in Delhi, who was once possessed by Stree. Jana, now living with his werewolf cousin Bhaskar, is lured back to Chanderi under the pretense of a stage play. While searching for Stree at an old fort, Sarkata attacks and drags Jana into his lair. Jana's physical body remains outside, but his spirit is taken. Inside the lair, he finds the abducted women. He manages to escape and reunites with his body. The group barely escapes the fort with Sarkata in pursuit. "She" reappears and fights Sarkata using Stree's braid attached to her hair but is overpowered. Sarkata destroys Stree's statue, signalling his dominance. The town's women, fearing the new threat, blame Vicky for Stree's disappearance and pressure him to take responsibility. "She" convinces Vicky that he is the only one capable of stopping Sarkata. She gives him a magical dagger and instructs him to behead Sarkata. To lure Sarkata, the group arranges a provocative dance performance by Shama, Rudra's former lover. Sarkata appears, but Vicky hesitates to attack. Sarkata then possesses the men protecting Shama and abducts her. The possessed men, including Bittu, begin controlling the town's women. Desperate, the group follows a clue from the anonymous letter to a psychiatric hospital, where they meet a descendant of Sarkata. He reveals that Sarkata can only be defeated by a being who is neither man, woman, nor animal, but equal to both. "She" briefly merges with Vicky to create such a being. Together, they enter Sarkata's lair and confront him. Vicky cuts Sarkata's head in half, but each severed head regenerates into more. As they struggle, Bhaskar arrives to help but is also overpowered. In a last attempt, "She" calls out to her mother, who is revealed to be Stree. Stree arrives and, with Vicky's help, drags Sarkata into lava, destroying him. The abducted women are freed, and the possessed men return to normal. The town celebrates Vicky and his friends as heroes. "She" reveals that she is a ghost and that she came to Chanderi to help her mother's spirit find salvation. Stree still sees her as the little girl from the past, which is why she initially attacked her. Before leaving, "She" tells Vicky her name and promises they will meet again. In a pre-credit scene, Bhaskar asks Jana to introduce him to "She," but Jana refuses. Bhaskar then mentions a new threat in Delhi involving a man who sucks blood from people's necks, hinting at a vampire. In a mid-credit scene, a pot containing Sarkata's remains arrives at the mental asylum and possesses his descendant, implying his return.

Cast

Production

= Development

= In October 2018, following the success of Stree, Amar Kaushik announced plans for a sequel. The project, produced by Raj and DK alongside Dinesh Vijan, was initially set to begin filming in 2019. According to producer Vijan, the sequel would delve into Shraddha Kapoor’s character's backstory and answer several unanswered questions from the first film. The original cast would return, with new additions, and the narrative would primarily focus on the characters played by Rajkummar Rao and Kapoor. However, script development continued throughout 2019, with filming postponed to 2020. In February 2022, Rao confirmed the sequel's development. By October 2022, Kapoor also confirmed that shooting would commence soon. That same month, it was reported that Kaushik and his team had finalised the storyline for the sequel, which would continue from where the first film left off. In March 2023, the film entered pre-production, with filming scheduled to start in July 2023. In April 2023, Jio Studios joined as co-producers. The filmmakers announced that the sequel is set for release on 30 August 2024.

= Casting

= Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana reprise their respective roles, with Tripathi returning as Rudra, Banerjee as Jana, Khurana as Bittu, and Sunita Rajwar as Jana's mother. Tamannaah Bhatia makes a special appearance in a song, while Varun Dhawan features in a cameo, reprising his role from Bhediya. According to Hindustan Times report, Akshay Kumar would be appearing in a cameo.

= Filming

= Principal photography began on 10 July 2023, with the initial shoot taking place in Chanderi. Filming schedules were adjusted to accommodate Pankaj Tripathi's commitments to his role in Main Atal Hoon (2024). The first schedule concluded within the same month. The second schedule commenced in November 2023, with the crew relocating to Madhya Pradesh for additional filming. In December 2023, scenes were shot in Indore, and a dance number featuring Tamannaah Bhatia was filmed in Bihar, choreographed by Vijay Ganguly. In January 2024, the production moved to an old fort in Bhopal. Varun Dhawan joined the set in February 2024 to film a guest appearance at a Mumbai studio, reprising his role from Bhediya (2022). One improvised scene involved Rajkummar Rao singing "Calm Down" by Rema and Selena Gomez, which led to the producers paying ₹25 lakh in residuals.

= Post-production

= The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) did not mandate any visual cuts for Stree 2. However, the board requested two audio modifications: the removal of a celebrity's name and the muting of a national monument's name. After these changes, the film was granted a U/A rating and has a runtime of 149 minutes.

Music

The film's music was composed by Sachin–Jigar, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, and the background score by Justin Varghese in his second Hindi film. The soundtrack, distributed by Saregama, consisted of four original tracks, namely "Aaj Ki Raat", "Khoobsurat", "Aayi Nai" and "Tumhare Hi Rahenge Hum"—all of which were released as singles.

Marketing

The teaser for Stree 2 premiered in theatres during the end credits of Munjya on 14 June, and was later released on social media on 25 June 2024. The trailer of the film was released on 18 July 2024 and received over 10 million views across platforms within 24 hours.

Release

= Theatrical

= Stree 2 was initially scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on 30 August 2024, but was later rescheduled to premiere on Independence Day. The day before its release, nearly 3,000 paid preview night shows were held.

= Home media

= The film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video from 10 October 2024.

Reception

= Box office

= Stree 2 grossed ₹9.40 crore from paid previews in select theatres the day before its official release, the highest ever for a Hindi film, breaking the previous record set by Chennai Express (2013). Released on Independence Day alongside Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein, the film earned ₹64.80 crore on its opening day, making it the second-highest opening day for a Hindi film, only behind Jawan (2023). It marked the highest opening of Rajkummar Rao's career and the second-highest for Shraddha Kapoor, following Saaho (2019). Worldwide, the film crossed ₹100 crore on its second day, the ₹300 crore mark on its eighth day and the ₹400 crore mark in its first week. In its fifth week, the film earned an additional ₹16 crore, setting a record for the highest fifth-week collection in Indian cinema history. Internationally, the film debuted within the top 10 at the U.S. domestic box office with an opening gross of $2.57 million. It also became the eleventh Indian film to cross A$2 million in Australia and crossed £1 million in the United Kingdom, the first for an Indian horror film. Box Office India reported that the film did particularly well overseas despite the fact it did not have a prominent male lead. As of 10 October 2024, the film has grossed ₹739.40 crore in India and ₹134.30 crore internationally, bringing its total worldwide gross to ₹837–874.58 crore.

= Critical response

= Stree 2 received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised its blend of horror and comedy, performances, and sharp dialogue, though some found the sequel lacking in novelty. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 62% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4.5 out of 5, calling it "the birth of a successful franchise" and highlighting its seamless mix of humour and horror. Similarly, Simran Khan of Times Now awarded it 4 out of 5, describing it as a "well-packaged entertainer" with a standout performance from Rajkummar Rao, while also commending Shraddha Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi. Though she noted a predictable climax, she emphasised that the film effectively balances horror and comedy, making it an engaging watch. Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India echoed this sentiment, also rating it 4 out of 5 and calling it "a headless wonder that's got humour in spades." He praised the film's clever script and its introduction of a male villain, Sarkata, though he found the second half to suffer from pacing issues. Tushar Joshi of India Today rated it 3.5 out of 5, describing it as a "multiverse of madness" that is entertaining but occasionally struggles with coherence. He pointed out the film's improved visual effects and praised its performances, particularly Rao's and a cameo by Akshay Kumar. Like Srivastava, Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times believed the sequel surpassed the original, writing that “Rajkummar Rao leads a sequel that's better than the original; Abhishek Banerjee is the highlight.” Suri appreciated the film's blend of humour with social commentary, particularly its take on patriarchal constraints, and praised the sharp dialogue and Banerjee's performance. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated it 3 out of 5, noting that while the film capitalises on the goodwill of the original and the camaraderie among the actors, its "spirited return" has its highs and lows. Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu offered a more mixed review, remarking that while Rao, Kapoor, and the ensemble deliver laughs, the film “feels like a factory-made sequel.” He found that it retained the charm of the original but sacrificed its nuanced social commentary in favour of franchise expansion. Similarly, Pratiksha Mishra of The Quint criticised the film's visual effects, stating that they made the antagonist, Sarkata, appear "less menacing and more cartoonish," which undercut the intended horror. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV India was more critical, rating the film 2.5 out of 5 and commenting that "Shraddha Kapoor's film is bemusing rather than petrifying." He felt that while the sequel builds on the success of its predecessor, its reliance on predictable humour and outdated tropes made it feel repetitive despite moments of creativity.

Notes

References

External links

Stree 2 at IMDb Stree 2 at Bollywood Hungama