A severed head rolling down roads and slopes, a floating witch with a veil covering her head, three musketeers, and a mysterious woman who comes and goes as she pleases or as required. The small town of Chanderi has everything needed for a perfect ghost setting–so does the movie Stree 2. Set in the narrow bylanes of Chanderi, a headless monster is abducting women this time. The last time, a supposed witch called Stree kidnapped men. And so, the saga of decoding gender dynamics through supernatural elements and comedic interludes continues.
Stree 2 is the fifth installment in the Maddock Films Supernatural Universe and a sequel to the 2018 blockbuster Stree. Unlike other Bollywood attempts at horror comedy, this Universe uses urban legends and Indian folklore as a baseline. Indian movies have had urban legends told and retold on the silver screen many times, but they always need to catch up on the impact. Maybe that’s why filmmaker Dinesh Vijan chose comedy infused with horror. However, that’s not the secret recipe. What is truly needed lies in the social messaging on gender dynamics, which, when told through distorted figures and scary faces, becomes more impactful to an audience grievously confused about gender roles.
In Stree 2, the rolling headless ghost wants to reinstate patriarchy and abducts progressive women. He was guilty of killing the woman (Stree in the prequel) and turning her into a witch when she decided to marry her lover, which is why he was beheaded by her spirit and dug deep into the earth. The moment Stree’s spirit leaves, he is back, and so is the patriarchy as he begins to cast a spell on men, causing them to curtail women’s freedom and education.
The premise is nothing unseen: A disjointed head terrorizes the women of Chanderi this time. Last time, it was a witch who called out names of men while they were walking alone on the street and abducted them when they responded. (Well, not all of them; she’d leave out their clothes.) People began writing – O woman! Come tomorrow – in a bid to ward off evil, but she was relentless. In response, a team of three young men, one senior guy, and a nameless woman set out to fight the ‘evil’ as Chanderi’s men found themselves forced to give up their privileges and stay at home with no claim to the night – something women have been living with since the dawn of time.
The above are serious issues that usually invite sloganeering and long monologues on gender sensitization in movies. This is precisely what sets the Stree multiverse apart. The gender issues make their presence felt without lectures on women’s empowerment. Therein lies the power of Stree 2: quality humor dashed with real-life problems.
Just like its prequel, which talks about consent, care, and respect for all women, including prostitutes, and stars a sweet, soft beta male lead played endearingly by Rajkumar Rao, Stree 2 targets social media influencers – the dude-bros who are spreading venom via Instagram reels against womenfolk. In recent years, there has been a rise in misogynistic content online, often sponsored by young, impressionable men who are threatened by feminism and activated by a fascist regime and its ideals. The headless ghost (Sarkata) is a caricature of these young, inexperienced men whose heads (and minds) seem to have left them. “It means Sarkata is an influencer; he wants to increase his followers,” says Chanderi’s know-it-all senior guy, Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi), in a funny yet poignant scene in the film.
This poignancy has been stressed innumerable times in the franchise through men-women conflict and ideas of consent. Unlike Stree, who would call out the names of men and abduct only if they turned around and responded, Sarkata barges into the homes of women and abducts them forcefully. In yet another poignant scene from the prequel, Rudra says, “She is Stree. Unlike men, she wouldn’t force you. She’d ask for your permission. For her, yes means yes.”
All of it being said, Stree 2 does fail to capture the intricacies of storytelling, which was the hallmark of its prequel. The narrative has many comedic elements at various points, which could have been edited out. The social messaging, too, is on the surface level. The story does not explore anything new, even when the setting and the characters remain the same. You do find yourself yearning for some depth in the story arcs. But, the makers were more focused on connecting the multiverse and preparing the audience for another sequel. The horror element is also quite unimpressive, especially in the second half, because of amateur VFX. Seems the makers cut a lot of the budget in the VFX department leading to a significant decline in the horror aspect.
Nevertheless, Stree 2 is a testament to storytelling’s power when infused with humor, horror, and a strong social message. By cleverly weaving gender dynamics into a supernatural tale, the film offers a refreshing take on the horror-comedy genre.
It’s not just about scares and laughs; it’s about sparking conversations, challenging stereotypes, and advocating for equality. The Stree universe has created a unique blend of entertainment and social commentary, proving that real-world issues can be addressed with thought-provoking and entertaining results, even in the supernatural realm.
Review Courtesy of Neha Jha
Feature Image Credit to PVR Inox via Screenrant