The Stranger Things Of Chanderi: Stree 2 Review
And Detailed Analysis
Stree 2 Review
The highly anticipated film of 2024, “Stree 2,” has finally dropped this Independence Day, generating one of the highest 1st Day collections of 2024. The film manages to collect around Rs 76.5 crore net, with Rs 8.5 crore from paid previews. Directed by Amar Kaushik and starring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana, the sequel yet again manages to capture the audience’s heart with great narrative and captivating performances from all the actors. The film is almost flawless, with an engaging screenplay and runtime; it also manages to connect and establish Maddock Film’s Supernatural Cinematic Universe with a few flaws and loopholes in between. This article of Stree 2 Review follows the good and bad aspects of the film, but who cares? We all love Chanderi and the trio anyway!
The Evolving Chanderi
One of the most beautiful detail that is presented in this sequel is from the very start, we see an establishment in a café where Rajkummar Rao’s character Vicky and Aparshakti Khurana’s character Bittu are having a burger. The never-before-seen café and the burger are a symbol of the modernization of the village of Chanderi. Though the film starts from the very end of its first installment, “Stree,” which was realized in 2018, it makes a jump of a few years to establish that the village of Chanderi has developed since the Stree, a supernatural entity of the village, has left the ground. Now the entity is treated like a demigod who protects the boundaries of the village. Another call out to modernization is how the film represents the new generation of women; they are more aspirant and focused on their dreams and careers, while the males are still trying to adopt the new nature of the village.
The Four Musketeers
While the first film focusses on the friendship between the trio of Vicky, Bittu, and Jana, This time around, the character Rudra, played by Pankaj Tripathi, gets more screen time and feels like part of the team. The character is more grounded and candid with the trio, has a special bond with Vicky, and often asks for help from him to solve different problems. This time also, the actors managed to maintain their chemistry with each other, giving the feeling that they were more of the characters than the actors who were portraying their respective roles. This is really a thing: men don’t have any age limits in terms of true friendship. The characters of Vicky, Bittu, Jana, and Rudra add a symbol to it.
The Chanderi Puran
This time around, the film introduces a fictional ancient scroll named the Chanderi Puran, which reveals the story of the true malevolent spirit of the village, the Sarkata, who, in the first place, was the killer of the village prostitute, who later turns out to be a restless spirit named the Stree. The King, who later gets beheaded by Stree and turns into the malevolent entity Sarkata, is now on a loose, calming the toll from Chanderi, especially from the women kind who sees the world from a new perspective.
Dudes In Distress
Shraddha Kapoor steals the show as the mystery woman, this time revealing her identity as the daughter of the restless entity Stree. She is also a spirit known as the Chalawa, who acts as a protector of the village and has a special connection with Vicky because they both were born in a prostitute’s womb. Though the acting is mostly done by Rajkummar Rao and the other cast members, the way the character is written makes the actress shine on the big screen. Indian films mostly represent woman leads as the damsel in distress, but this time around the tables has turned, and that in a good way.
Abhishek Banerjee The MVP Of Stree Two
Abhishek Banerjee as Jana is the MVP of the movie; his perfect comedic timing manages to steal the attention of every audience present in the theater. There is a scene between him and Akshay Kumar, who did a cameo in the film. He outshines the veteran actor, proving his acting capability and his understanding of the character he is playing. Jana, as a character, is going to be remembered in Bolloywood history as a dumb-headed yet good-hearted man who enjoys life to its simplest form, loving his mother and friends. It is easy to say that without Abhishek Banerjee as Jana, the Stree movies are kind of bland.
Akshay Kumar The Thanos Of Maddock Supernatural Universe
The film also introduces the character of Akshay Kumar as a decedent of Chandrabham, aka the Sarkata. Though the actor delivers a moderate performance, the character is going to play a key role in the future installments of the film and its extended supernatural universe. The post-credit scene showcasing the character taking the powers of Sarkata gives a hint and promises that he is going to play the main baddy in this film universe.
Are Stree 2 And Bhediya Related?
Since the release of the teaser for “Stree 2,” there has been a hot debate about how the “Bhediya” movie of the Maddock supernatural universe is going to be connected with this film. “Jana” being the only character who appeared in both movies is the main connection; this is the only reason why Bhediya, played by Varun Dhawan, gets connected with the trio and the village of Chanderi. The post-credit scene of “Bhediya” showcases how Vicky and Bittu find Jana, who is now staying in Delhi with his new friend “Varun Dhawan,” who turns into a werewolf every night.
Though this scene is cleared in the current installment of the Stree franchise, one thing that is not yet clear is how Bhediya comes into the final battle sequence. Earlier in the film, it is established that no man, woman, or spirit can enter the realm of Sarkata. How does Bhediya, being a male supernatural entity, enter this dimension? The second question that comes to mind is: why does Bhediya come into the final battle? No scene was added there between Jana and Bhaskar Sharma, aka Bhediya, where it is mentioned that Vicky, Jana’s other friend, needs help in the dark dimension of Sarkata. These are some major plot holes that sooner or later will appear in the audience’s mind, tampering with the prestige of the film and its franchise.
The CGI Being Hit And A Miss!
Films in this genre need to be dependent on heavy special effects and extended CGI. “Stree 2” is no exception. The character of Sarkata is hugely dependent on CGI work, and the makers cleverly managed to pull it off. Most scenes of Sarkata are during the night, making it look almost flawless, but in some portions, the character looks like a Play Station 2 game enemy, giving it the feeling of “Uncanny Valley.”
Tamannaah Not Wasted
These days, it is very hard to see two natural beauties in the same film. While the first film featured Nora Fatehi as the eye candy silicone item girl, she almost disappeared without any context as the song ended. This time around, Tamannah Bhatia is fulfilling the eyes of the Tier 3 audiences. The thing that makes it better this time is that she is playing the role of Shama, Rudra’s platonic lover, who was mentioned in the previous film. She is also one of the victims taken by the Sarkata, which adds a plot to the item song.
Conclusion And Social Commentary
To Conclude the Stree 2 review it is a well-made movie that not only delivers greatness in the horror-comedy genre but also delivers a social commentary on male dominance and exploitation. The character Sarkate is an embodiment of egoistic male chauvinism who can’t tolerate women with a liberated mindset. This doesn’t mean that the film is more into pseudo-feminism, a theme that is more of a cash grab these days, confusing the theme of true womanhood. The film explains the concept of “Ardhnarishwar,” a formation of Lord Shiva and Parvati, in the most fascinating way that both a male and a female have to connect with each other in a spiritual way to banish the darker evils of society.