3.5/5
Stree is a comedy/horror based on an urban legend in Chanderi where a female ghoul hunts the men of the town. According to the legend, she calls the men by their name and when they look back, she takes them away and leaves only their clothes behind. As none of the missing men has ever returned, no one knows what happens to them once they go missing. The only effective way known to the townsfolk to keep the ghoul away is to write “O Stree, Kal Aana” on their walls and stay inside. Three friends, a nameless woman and a local ‘know-it-all’, have to save the town from the ghoul.
The story of the movie flows really well and is almost seamless and the banter between the characters is enjoyable. The setting feels like a real town with real people. Though the runtime of the movie is 2 hours and 8 minutes, it certainly doesn’t seem that way as there are no dull moments in the film. The CGI is good and does not stick out like a sore thumb. The camera work of the movie is also good and the lights and shadows have been used well to add more eeriness.
While the story is unique, the characters are not so. The protagonist, Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) is a typical small town man who is a tailor in his father’s shop and is well known for his talent of stitching clothes perfectly without using a measuring tape. He is also a hopeless romantic who falls in love with a mysterious woman (Shraddha Kapoor) who only comes to his town at a certain time every year. His two best friends, Bittu (Aparshakti Khurrana) and Dana (Abhishek Banerjee), are the kind of friends you see in almost every movie. Dana is submissive, supportive and naive, while Bittu is dominant, dismissive, proud and selfish. Vicky, on the other hand, is neutral, hopeful and maybe a little less naive than Dana. While I don’t think this is a bad thing, it makes their dynamic, and thereby the movie, a little predictable. Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi), who although seen in the movie at the start, joins the gang only later in the movie. He is the town’s library owner and is supposed to be someone who holds a wealth of knowledge. Predictably enough, he is the only person who knows quite a bit about the ghoul and how to stay safe from her.
The breath of fresh air in the film is the character played by Shraddha Kapoor. She starts off as a dainty, shy woman, though you don’t get the sense that she is helpless. Until the end of the movie, you are left trying to figure out who… or what she really is. Kapoor’s character remains nameless the entire movie, which adds to her mysterious and charming nature.
Vicky is the only character who is fully fleshed out. We know his motivations, what he does for a living, personal details about his family etc. Whereas, when it comes to the supporting characters – Bittu, Dana and Rudra – we know little to nothing about them or their motivations. While this favours Kapoor’s character, it leaves the others a little lacking.
There is a good mix of humour and horror in the movie. The comedic timing is spot on, although, there were a couple of misses where the humour kind of dampened the seriousness of the situation. While I liked the humour in the movie, I felt that the horror part was a little lacking as the filmmakers have relied heavily on jump scares… at least in the first half of the movie. Once the ghoul is shown, however, the reliance on jump scares reduces but, does not completely disappear. I will be honest though… I did spend some time watching the movie from over the top of my bag as I was trying to hide behind it. This is not a testament to how scary the movie is… I’m just easily spooked. Sudden loud sounds will get a scream out of anyone.
The plot twist wasn’t very effective either as almost halfway through the movie, I had already figured out what it was going to be. But, perhaps that is because I have seen so many thrillers that it just might be possible that I have seen it all. Maybe somewhere down the line, there will be a movie that will have a totally mindblowing new twist. That’s always the hope. Luckily for this movie, however, there is another twist… if I can call it one… and it is heartwarming and is worth the wait (Haha! Plot twist about the plot twist).
One thing I did not like about the movie… or any Bollywood movie for that matter, is the item song where a scantily clad woman dances for a large group of lecherous men. This… I guess… is nullified but the movie as in the second half, it makes fun of the patriarchy. Usually, when there is danger in an area, the women are made to stay inside their homes and depend on the men to protect them. The movie turns this practice on its head as the men here are seen staying home and asking the women to come home soon because they are the ones who are scared. They even go so far as to wear women’s clothing to stay safe from the ghoul. So… win-win?
Now that we are done with the story and the characters, let’s talk about the acting. Rajkummar Rao has, by now, established himself as a great actor. He is good in his role and is very believable. It is amazing to see how he is able to mould himself to fit a role. Shraddha Kapoor is the perfect choice for this role. In this movie, she is the perfect amount of playful, charming, mysterious and badass.
Overall, this movie is fun to watch either alone (like I did) or with your family and friends. It will give you the right amount of chills along with the right amount of laughs.
The movie has been directed by Amar Kaushik. It has been produced by Dinesh Vijan, Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D K, the latter two also being the writers. The cinematography is by Amalendu Chaudhary.
