Reviews & Ratings for
स्त्री (2018)

This is a movie I went to see on a whim… I like the writers of this film who have previous made Go goa gone and A Gentleman (among others). So I decided to just give this VERY mediocre looking film a chance.
The plot revolves around A Spirit which supposedly kidnaps men and leaves only their clothes behind. The film’s hero Vicky is modern and doesn’t believe this at all… from here on starts the film.

Direction & Plot:
Horror comedy is a VERY difficult genre… how can someone make people scared shitless and then bring out copious amounts of laughter from them in the next scene or maybe in the very same scene. There are very few movie in Hollywood or Bollywood which can successfully do horror comedy. I am very happy to say, Stree succeeds in almost every aspect. It’s one of the best horror comedies of this decade if not the entire span of indian cinema.
Hollywood has very recently figured out how to do horror just about right. From the conjuring, insidious to IT, they are making pretty good horror films. But what if a film can be as scary as IT but also make you laugh madly in the very next moment ? Stree as mentioned before totally does that. All the credit goes to the film makers. The writing is sheer brilliance, the editing is sharp and the scares got some genuine shouts of terror from the audience. But then comes the funny dialogs, the great acting and comedic timing of the entire cast without going overboard or losing the thread of the narrative.
I cannot stress enough how hard this is to pull off. However, not only do they pull it off, the filmmakers have made an instant classic. This is a film that is not just good and entertaining, but REALLY re-watchable. Not just due to the comedy, but due to its plot as well. I cannot explain this further without going into spoilers.

Writing:
The writers (Raj and Krishna in this case) are the king of cinema. Few know this, especially in Bollywood, where a writer is a distant afterthought behind the items songs and the star power. But this film has first and foremost amazing writing. Not just in the comedy dialogs, but in the way the hero and his friend’s comradery gets established with very few lines.
The plot would seem sort of lackluster or insufficient, but somehow it works rather well. A film based on just a thin premise usually leads to a dragging second half, but this film is just as sharp post interval as it is in the first half.
There is a scene of a human possession by a ghost, which is normally shown as scary and terrifying, but here the writers treat is as a comedy scene, which shouldn’t work, how can a comedy scene establish how serious the ghost is? But somehow it not just works, but had the audience rolling with laughter even as the possessed person goes full zombie on his family!

Acting :

Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee are the main cast members. Miss Kapoor being the weakest link in the acting chain. Rajkummar is ridiculously good in his character. He is an everyman hero who is nervous around pretty girls. But is a prince among his friends, flawed, scared and unwittingly hilarious at times. He does wonders with an already well-written material.
The rest of the above-mentioned cast are a natural fit into the film. They seem like small town people, with interesting characters, but nothing so overboard as to make it seem unbelievable. Some from such a village or town would be able to identify with them, but they are also main stream enough for the city audience to find them interesting and funny. Again, this is something most films struggle with a lot.
Overall the acting is pretty damn good by everyone on screen. Miss Kapoor weak as she is in acting, still manages to do her role properly and convincingly.

Overall :
This film is highly recommended for people who like horror and comedy. It’s smart, it’s very middle India, but somehow still relevant and funny.
(NO SPOILERS)
The film ending is slightly ambiguous, maybe to setup a sequel OR to give credence to two different theories about the Stree (Ghost) in this film. It does not take anything away from the film, but the writers have purposely written it in a way that there can be two possible explanations of the ending of the film. Another thing, which is extremely hard to do… convince the audience that they have seen something that they really haven’t… or have they?

Rating :
For one of India’s (if not the only) best horror comedies. I rate this quite high. 8.5 / 10. A MUST watch for all audiences who enjoy a good film with some scares and a lot of laughter.

p.s :
Maybe the producers didn’t have much confidence on this film as I saw hardly any marketing of this film and the trailer of the film is just about ok. I wish this excellent film gets a lot more recognition for how awesome it is…

The year 2018 is the best year for releasing new genre film in Bollywood. This Friday, three films had released in Gujarat, in which this Horror-Comedy film Stree is the best watch.

Directed by Amar Kaushik, it is produced by Dinesh Vijan and Raj-Dk. While, Raj & DK are writers of it. Starring Rajkumar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurrana & Pankaj Tripathi, Stree stands out as a winner.

Stree is based on the Indian urban legend, Nale Ba(don't come here) & Repu Ra (come back tomorrow). In the film, the story is about Chanderi and its ghost called Stree. She comes every year during the Pooja festival to take the revenge of her death and unsatisfied desires. So, these four nights are crucial for the people of Chanderi, as Stree attacks on men and takes them with her. The most common method to keep a Stree at bay, is to write a chant on the walls of the house, saying, “O Stree, Kal Aana”, which roughly translates to asking the spirit to come tomorrow, and when she does, she reads the chant again, making it a never-ending process. A house without this chant on its walls, has its men in danger as the spirit will definitely come for them. Who is this stree? What is her purpose? Why is she doing this? And what experiences have been faced by Rajkumar and others are the questions which have been answered in the film.

What can one say about Rao's performance! I mean, in every movie, he is going as strong as he can. And we are facing shortage of words describing him and his craft. Aparshakti and Pankaj Tripathi are as usual best. They will make sure that you will laugh out loud when they act. There is a cameo of Vijay Raaz as well. Shraddha is looking superb in the film. What is she playing, that I'm not gonna answer here!

Dialogues are fabulous. They're like cherry on the cake. Because there are some cuss words which have been mute, but then you can get it too. And which add the reality of characters in scary situation, like at the palace where Stree lives in. There you must have not behaved like a decent person. Kudos to the writers, from bringing a film based on this type of modern folklore. I am already impressed with them from Go Goa Gone itself. This is going to be a sure hit, will be remembered as a good film in their kitty. Though, the bus scene in the end brings out so many questions in my mind, will surely discuss with anyone about it. Or if possible, I would like to ask Raj & DK about it.

Music department is good. Though, the songs are not pushing the story ahead. That's why no songs in second half. Aao Haveli Pe suits perfectly. Kamariya and Dil Ka Darzi are watchable in the film. I have read some reviews saying that songs are minus point. But, hello, there are not a single whole song. 2 min song in between scenes, that too like there are just 3 songs, is fair enough.

This is the first movie of Amar Kaushik. After the so called struggle of 12 years, I'm happy for you that you made this film! Apart from horror and comedy, there are many scenes which tell the thought behind making this, or what to gain from this one. Especially, the last scene or the scene where men are so frightened by Stree that they're roaming in the city wearing saree, or staying at home. The reverse effect- I liked this scene so so much. The world is men dominating, but Stree should not be taken granted. Whatever upgrade versions we get for our gadgets, if our mindsets are not updating, we will become dinosaur soon.

Kudos to the whole team of Stree. Must watch. Scary, funny, thought provoking and the best part - Entertaining!

Stree is a paranormal comedy, with new talent such as Rajkumar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana and Abhishek Bannerjee. The plot is set in the small town of Chanderi, where a mysterious woman roams at night and kidnaps men ,and hilariously, leaves back only their clothes. She has her own motives for such actions, revealed later in the movie. Rajkumar Rao proves his mettle as thelead in the film. His comic timing is a must watch. Shraddha Kapoor as another mysterious woman is also good. Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Bannerjee steal the show with their respective screen space. The plot, humour, songs and the social message it conveys are all praiseworthy to watch. Hats off to the entire team, both in front of the screen and behind the screen.

Stress is a one of the best horror comedy of not only bollywood but in hollywood also. I was not hoping that the movie will be so amazing .
Director was very successful in making of the film
Actors were amazing .rajkumar ao is extra ordinary. Even pankaj tripathi , shardha kapoor , and all other made thier impact .
Songs in movie are at point and flows in the movie . #amazing #bestOfHorror