And they are back!!, Bollywood kick ass doctors of laughter’s in scares Dinesh Vijan and Raj & D.K, the partners in that hilarious crime called GO GOA GONE, go beyond the known routes of the horror genre phir se… dil se in this marvelously entertaining combo of laughs and scares that marks a mighty impressive debut for helmer Amar Kaushik.
Featuring an all round winning performance by Rajkummar Rao in this significantly relevant highlight in Bollywood’s horror comedy genre, STREE is a must see for its nonstop alternative dose of laughter and scares that are most rare and it ends with a message… hooray hooray this zomcom is on a song!!.
Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K adapt the folklore of Stree for screen. Stree is believed to be originated from a small town called Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh where the first appearance was sighted during the rule of the Sultans in the 1400s, and continued. The phenomenon is also observed in southern parts of India where ‘O Stree Kal Aana’ is written on walls of small towns and villages to deny the entry of ‘Stree’ – a bridal ghost (observed during the 90’s lately, the ‘Nale Ba’ happenings in Karnataka).
Set in the birth place of the folklore – Chanderi, STREE is about a wonder tailor Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) who falls heads over heels for a mysterious girl (Shraddha Kapoor) who pops up only during the four days of the festive season – the time when ‘Stree’ from the local legend eyes her prey. The mystery surrounding Vicky’s love of life and the danger of Stree sees one of Vicky’s friend Jana (Abhishek Banerjee) grabbed by Stree and suspicion over the identity of Vicky’s girlfriend leads to crazy, hilarious and eerie twist and turns in this absorbing entertainer.
The movie is laced with hilarious situations and humour that pleases the masses and the classes as well. Sumit Aroraa’s dialogues are witty and funny. Amar Kaushik’s narration goes smoothly and the scenes come with a proper build up.
Rajkummar Rao steals the show with an entertaining performance, its treat to watch him perform. Shraddha Kapoor is outstanding as the mysterious girl which sets the tone of this zomcom. Aparshakti Khurrana is entertaining. Abhishek Banerjee is fabulous. Pankaj Tripathi is just brilliant. Vijay Raaz leaves his mark in a cameo. Atul Srivastava as Rajkummar Rao’s father is marvelous. Nora Fatehi sets the temperature high in that item number.
Technically polish with rich production values; Amalendu Chaudhary’s cinematography is well toned. Madhusudhan’s production design is apt. VFX by Prime Focus is satisfactory. Hemanti Sarkar’s editing is as desired. Sachin-Jigar’s music goes with the flow. Special mention for Ketan Sodha’s background score is a must.
However, there are some flaws like the movie shows its characters supporting blind faith, witchcraft, the brilliant build up deserved a better wind up.
But nothing can deny the fact that STREE is a must see for all hungry souls of horror, comedy or entertainment in general. This zomcom ( horror comedy) is a cracker of fun that dares to tickle your funny bones at one time and shakes you with genuine scares in the next moment and in the end leaves you with an haunting enlightenment that echoes with a chorus.
