WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
It was a dark and stormy night. The beginning to so many a traditional ghost story or urban legend, the fictional yet presented-as-true stories finding their way into local culture. Yet, what if the legends were indeed true? In the city of Chanderi, a yearly festival also marks the fearful whisperings about the return of the Stree, a ghostly witch that preys upon and steals away men who’ve been foolish enough to wander out alone over the 4-day festival period. In the midst of this is Vicky (Rajkummar Rao), a simple yet highly gifted dress mender/tailor in his father’s (Atul Srivastava) shop, who completely dismisses the townsfolk’s concerns as childish and unfounded. Carefree and unafraid, Vicky just enjoys life.
Finally meeting a beautiful and enigmatic woman (Shraddha Kapoor) whom he’s seen at the festival in years past and is more than overtly smitten with, Vicky’s puppy love is made fun of by his friend Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana) while gleefully supported by another, Jana (Abhishek Banerjee). However, strange and haunting events begin to unfold as the night becomes a hunting ground for the elusive and deadly Stree, with Vicky soon realizing there’s more truth to the legend than he ever would have remotely imagined. Soon, he, Bittu, and Jana are seeking the aid of local folklore master, Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi) to stop the Stree forever, even as Vicky begins to wonder about his newly met love, whom no one else has seen–except him.
Next, my Mind:
It can be a tricky endeavor to mix genuine horror with intentionally silly comedy, but leave it to the wonders of Bollywood cinema to create that precise formula and do it without taking itself too seriously while not losing a sense of purpose, which is exactly what we are presented through director Amar Kaushik’s new debut feature film effort. Taking the concept from a prevalent (it went viral, mind you) urban legend in Karnataka back in the 1990’s named Nale Ba, the narrative soars on both eerie and quite hilariously comical wings thanks to highly clever writing and lively, wholly amusing dialogue in spinning the tale of one man’s doubts turned into very haunting reality while also managing to fall totally in love with a mystery woman he’s always fancied and who may not or may not be what she seems. Crisply shot cinematography follows the action with precision and perfectly executed intent that deftly amplifies the creepiness factor when apropos to superb effect while also providing the absurd comedic moments their just due so we as the viewer can fully take in both elements to the extent that we are either feeling the tense chills of a disquieted anticipation or the complete ease of laughing out loud. It’s a masterful execution aided as well by the wonderfully executed musical score that so skillfully echoes what is transpiring on screen. In general, the visual feel and tone of the film also mirrors events with ease, from the ghoulish specter of the film’s namesake to the bright, bubbly, always pure fun dance sequences, ominous darkened woods where monsters dwell, to just the hustle and bustle of Chanderi’s streets, it all pulls you in and keeps you invested during the film’s entire 128-minute runtime. Kaushik grabbed our attention with his amazing 2017 short film “Aaba” and now he begins to showcase his ability with feature length projects with this gem.
I have always been a fan (and will certainly continue to be) of Rajkummar Rao, a totally brilliant character actor who keeps presenting us with such a wide range of ability in the characters he plays. The trend continues here as he navigates his way through these proceedings as Vicky, a Chanderi-born son of a tailor whose demonstrated that affluence in a given skillset hasn’t fallen far from the tree as he works in his father’s tailor shop mending/stitching women’s dresses. He wants more from life, of course, reluctantly plying the trade, and also desires to finally be with the mystery woman he’s always longed after. Even as his friends and an entire city begin to unravel with the Stree on the loose, Vicky remains dubious of it all until directly effected by unfolding circumstances, and soon discovers he is indeed meant for more than tailoring. Vicky’s experiences with sinister, otherworldly forces blended with his penchant for being a bit of a shy, awkward, but innocent buffoon all play so well into Rao’s wheelhouse, and he takes full advantage of it, making us be both mirthful and scared right along with his character throughout the film. Pure acting genius.
Likewise, I am also a great fan of Shraddha Kapoor, as how hard is it on its own to fall in love with her bubbly personality and cute-as-a-button looks. But this reviewer feels she might actually be unnecessarily underrated as an actress, and after having seen her in rom com and action, horror/comedy becomes a new genre for her to stretch her acting legs in and prove she’s more than just a pretty face via this role as the object of Vicky’s hopeful affections who’s much more than she seems. While remaining unnamed, her actions after first approaching Vicky seem totally innocent and more than adequate to satisfy his initial infatuations until the more she reveals to him, the warier he begins to get. As his suspicions grow and her manipulations of him start seeming more obvious as to what her true nature is, a surprise twist in events puts her and the rest of them on an altogether different path, which of course does nothing to assuage Vicky’s pining for her. A final twist as the film concludes puts yet another interesting premise waiting to happen into play, even as the character moves on, leaving her yearning admirer with only memories. It’s a wonderful role that fits perfectly into Kapoor’s wheelhouse as she is so adept at endearing the viewer to her. The closing credits dance sequence allows her to strut her stuff to boot, which is, as always, fun to watch. Given ongoing opportunity, I feel Shraddha will continue to prove herself more than worthy of being among Bollywood elite.
Supporting roles are many and definitely entertaining via Khurana’s Bittu, a superstitious man who firmly believes in the Stree legend despite others’ doubts, remaining a loyal friend to Vicky and Jana as events unfold and providing plenty of comic relief in tandem with Banerjee’s Jana, a lovable softy of a man who becomes far more a part of the creepy events than he would ever have wanted to. His soft-spoken, goofy manner is a load of laughs and as mentioned, it blends well with the other escapades perpetrated by Vicky and company. Both actors excel. Additional turns come from Tripathi as local folklore expert Rudra whose knowledge is almost overkill until it actually comes in handy, Srivastava as Vicky’s hard-working father whose concern for his son on many levels initially is both heartwarming and witty, as well as Aakash Dabhade and the blatantly amazing beauty of cameo dancers Nora Fatehi and Kriti Sanon. In total, “Stree” is indeed a wonderful Bollywood film well worth taking the time to view for its goofy wit, genuine scares, and wealth of talented actors out to show the world Bollywood IS here to stay and make its mark in bigger and better ways.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
