Stree 2 is all set to mark the return of Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor to the horror comedy universe.
The trailer for Stree 2, featuring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, and Abhishek Banerjee, was released on July 18. Going by it, the horror-comedy sequel picks up from where the first Stree film left off in 2018, which had the town of Chanderi being haunted by the ghost of Stree. Now in Stree 2, the locals, including Rajkummar, Abhishek, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurana, are shown facing another evil: Sarkata aadmi. With the help of Stree aka Shraddha Kapoor, the trio takes on Sarkata aadmi.
The trailer starts with Pankaj Tripathi's Rudra Bhaiya revealing that the people of Chanderi now have a threat from 'Sarkata' (headless monster). To protect themselves from the terror, the people of Chanderi pray to Stree this time, "O stree raksha karna", instead of telling her, "O stree kal aana". Rudra Bhaiya further reveals how 'Sarkata' is a monster devoid of a head. To safeguard the people of Chanderi, Shraddha Kapoor emerges as Stree, and the trailer is full of both chills and chuckles.
While fans are waiting with bated breaths to see Stree 2, do you know that the first film was based on an urban legend. The film was set in the fictional Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh, which is haunted by a woman’s ghost. However, as per the legend, ‘Stree’ comes to the town every year on the first fours nights of Navratri, and hunts at night, looking for men to prey. To keep themselves safe, the men dress as women to wade off the evil, and paint the walls of their homes with ‘Oh Stree, kal aana.’
The spooky story actually takes inspiration from an urban legend that circulated in Bengaluru sometime in the 1990s. As per it, a witch would come knocking at people’s doors every night, and if by mistake, they open the doors, she would murder them. But people made that mistake often because the witch is believed to speak in the voices of their friends or family members. Soon after, the people would write on their walls, “Nale Ba” which means ‘come tomorrow’ in Kannada. While the witch would read the inscription on the walls and turn away, she would return back for sure.
Of course, the story spread like wildfire in Bengaluru. However, soon enough, it also died and so did the witch of Nale Ba.
Shraddha and Rajummar Rao, who played the lead roles in Stree, will be again seen in Stree 2. The first film ended with Shraddha's character carrying the pony tail which was associated with the evil spirit. For the unversed, the horror universe created by Maddock Films and JioStudios, apart from the Stree films, have extended to Roohi (2021), Bhediya (2022) and Munjya (2024). Meanwhile, coming to Stree 2, it is believed that Akshay Kumar will make a surprise appearance, while Tamannaah Bhatia is confirmed to have a special role. The Amar Kaushik directorial is set to release in the theatres on August 15.
