Stree 2 - Sarkate ka Aatank

Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi

Director: Amar Kaushik

Duration: 147 mins

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Stree 2 begins right from where the last one ended. With her large statue looming large over the town of Chanderi, Stree has finally got the recognition that she always craved for. Just as she leaves the town in peace, her nemesis comes back in the town named Sarkata (literally, writers got no chill). How does he torment the young girls in the town and what Vicky (Rajkummar) and his gang of misfits can do to stop him makes the basic premise of this sequel to the highly loved 2018 movie Stree.

The movie does well in capturing the essence of the first installment in terms of the atmospherics and characterization of the main gang members. Their banter & jokes still land well (barring a hiccup or two) and the movie manages to keep a delicate balance between enough tension of the threat (CGI-generated Sarkata) & comedic gags spread generously across the screenplay.

The movie benefits immensely from keeping the same cast & director as the original one. Though the writers are new, they seem to be on the same page as their predecessors. Amar Kaushik knows his craft well and appears to be in control as a Director throughout the movie. Even the silliest of the jokes pack a punch when delivered by the able duo of Rajkummar & Pankaj Tripathi. The heroic entry of Sharddha Kapoor is a sight to behold as she fights off Sarkata in a face-off. She commands a dominating presence on the screen and looks a million dollar. She is one of the most underrated actors of her generation. All the supporting cast does very well and fit into their roles like a hand-to-glove. It's Rajkummar Rao who does the heavy lifting most of the time. He is in terrific form and makes you chuckle every time he’s on the screen.

The storyline and writing of the movie in general is good. It seems like a natural progression of the story than a forced attempt to making a sequel for a money grab (which is the case with lot of sequels in Bollywood these days). The music of the movie is above average. Most of the songs are picturized beautifully and you tend to enjoy them with the flow.

I enjoyed a Hindi movie in a packed theatre after a long time & most of the audience were having a blast. I am going with 4/5 stars for this one. I won’t be surprised if this one turns out to be one of the biggest hits of the year.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars