INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana, Vijay RaazDirector: Amar KaushikRating: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)A
zany supernatural parable that is both strongly feminist and uproariously funny, Stree, Amar Kaushik's self-assured first feature, delivers
shocks and laughs in equal measure
Despite its repeated to-ing and fro-ing between conflicting tones, the horror comedy glides along a firm and steady arc almost all through
its runtime of two hours and a bit.The film's fear quotient, like its comic flourishes, varies pretty wildly - in the climatic moments, it
even wobbles just a touch - but the sight of fully grown men cowering in panic at the very mention of the spectral figure who gives the film
its title is always hilarious, even when it tilts towards the terrifying.The director harnesses his resources to their fullest: the
lighting, the camera movements, the sound design and the editing all serve the purpose of heightening the film's seamless tonal duality
It goes repeatedly swings between spine-chilling and hysterical, alarming and absurd without losing its grasp.Stree is a tour de force
enlivened enormously by solid contributions from each and every technical department and the superlative turns from the principal actors
The cast is led admirably well by the splendid Rajkummar Rao and that man for all seasons who invariably seems to be a step ahead of the
demands of the screenplay - the magnificently malleable Pankaj Tripathi.Stree Movie Review: A still from the film
(Image courtesy: YouTube)Filmed entirely on location in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, Stree combines the tangibility and the rough and tumble of
a real small-town ambience and the flights of fancy of a weird fantasy based, as we are told at the start of the opening credits, "on a
Written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK (also the film's co-producers with Dinesh Vijan), the script pulls wonderful tricks out of its bag to
deliver an unconventional entertainer that uses the devices of Mumbai commercial cinema in ways that turn everything on its head.The hoary
town has a dark secret that it wants to forget but can barely live down
This chapter in its long history of patriarchy, misogyny and toxic masculinity - it centres on a beautiful prostitute violently thwarted in
her attempt to find true love - lies behind the terror that strikes the hearts of the men of Chanderi during a four-day annual religious
festival.Stree Movie Review: A still from the film
(Image courtesy: YouTube)So, it is the time of year when the men are either on the run or are forced to hide behind closed doors, not daring
to step out of their homes at night
It is a case of a woman getting her own back, and entirely on her own terms
There is no escaping the attention of Stree when she is out to make her ominous presence felt.Every home in this haunted area has "O Stree
kal aanaa (O Woman, come tomorrow)" written on its walls with red ink created with special ingredients meant to keep evil away
The vengeful ghost is obviously literate and is very, very civil - a woman, even as a wild wraith, does not believe in using force and waits
for the consent of her victims before abducting them, leaving only their clothes behind
She whispers a man's name and as soon as he turns around, she is upon him in a flash
The guy vanishes without a trace.Vicky (Rajkummar Rao), a young man famed in the region for his exceptional tailoring skills, works in his
father's shop when he isn't gallivanting around town with his two best pals, Bittu (Aparshakti Khurrana) and Jana (Abhishek Banerjee)
Their carefree ways are disrupted when a mysterious, unnamed woman (Shraddha Kapoor) appears from out of the blue and sweet talks Vicky into
agreeing to stitch a lehenga for her in two days flat
I want to wear it on the last day of the festival, she says
The guy, on his part, falls head over heels in love with the light-eyed lass
There is more to her than meets the eye, Bittu warns Vicky
But Jana eggs him on - with disastrous results.Bittu's fears are strengthened when the town's resident know-all Rudra, a bakwaas baaton ka
expert who owns a pustak bhandar, reminds Bittu and Jana of the legend of the avenging spirit on the loose and tells them what they need to
But that is easier said than done
It is hunting season for the wandering spirit and the men resort to desperate measures to stay out of harm's way
This construct is as crazy as it is comical, but the director injects just the right dose of goofiness to make it all consistently quirky
and playful.Stree Movie Review: A still from the film
(Image courtesy: YouTube)The quality of the performances that Kaushik extracts from his actors lends Stree infectious flounce
Rajkummar Rao is terrific
Whether he is flummoxed, frightened or simply going along with the flow, he delivers with minimum apparent effort
Shraddha Kapoor is suitably icy as the enigmatic woman who traipses into the protagonist's life and sets off the tremors.Aparshakti
Khurrana, full of beans, steals many a scene
Abhishek Banerjee delivers a high-energy yet controlled performance as the friend who suffers the most at the hands of the eponymous ghost
Pankaj Tripathi is in cracking form, giving the narrative a booster-charge whenever he is on the screen
Atul Srivastava in the role of Vicky's father leaves an impression in the handful of scenes he has in the film.Stree Movie Review: A still
(Image courtesy: YouTube)Stree plays an unwavering hand in demonstrating that dread can be unbridled fun when it serves a larger thematic
Go watch this spine-tingling film
It is completely madcap but there is method in its manic madness.
