So, is the Stree franchise starting to feel tired? Maybe not just yet, but Stree 2—the sequel to the 2018 horror-comedy that we all enjoyed—has its ups and downs. While it tries to push the supernatural gender-battle theme forward, it doesn’t quite capture the same magic as the first film. There are plenty of laughs, and the cast is clearly having fun, but the story sometimes feels like it’s spinning its wheels, missing the spark to keep us fully engaged.
We’re back with the gang: Vicky (Rajkummar Rao), the ladies’ tailor, his lazy pals Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana) and Jana (Abhishek Banerjee, starred in Vedaa), and the quirky librarian Rudra Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi). They’re joined by the mysterious woman from the first film (Shraddha Kapoor) as they face a new, even more dangerous threat.
The film tries hard to keep the same spirit as the original, but something feels off this time around. While Stree 2 asks us to dive into its supernatural world—where religious festivals mix with myths and folklore—the story’s wild elements, like upside-down caves and lava rivers, can feel more like a rerun than something fresh.
At the heart of the film is a headless villain, the Sarkata Purush, who’s out to capture young women and enforce some really twisted ideas about how women should behave. It’s an interesting idea, but the execution doesn’t quite hit the mark. Instead of being genuinely scary, the horror scenes often come off as more confusing than anything else.
Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank Trailer
That said, there are still some good laughs here. The film leans on simple jokes and wordplay, like when Bittu’s girlfriend Chitti gets mixed up with a letter (chitthi). But not all of the humor lands—especially in a scene set in a mental asylum that feels a bit insensitive and out of touch.
The film also tries to mix things up by flipping the gender dynamics of the ghostly threat, but this twist doesn’t quite deliver the impact it should. There’s also a nod to Bhediya—another film in Maddock’s supernatural universe—which is a nice Easter egg for fans, but it doesn’t do much to elevate the overall experience.
All in all, Stree 2 isn’t a total miss, thanks to the strong performances from the cast, who are clearly enjoying themselves and embrace the film’s quirky vibe. They seem more comfortable and in sync with the story’s tone than they were in the first one. But despite their efforts, the film feels like it’s stuck in a bit of a rut. Rather than pushing boundaries or breaking new ground, it falls back on familiar territory, offering more of the same instead of something truly exciting and new.
