Mumbai: Exactly a week after Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 hit theatres to a roaring audience, the director said that although the production team was extremely excited, he wanted to take some time off before thinking about his next project.
The film, the much-awaited sequel to 2018’s box office dark horse “Story”, has been well received by the audience and is nearing its release. ₹It has crossed the 300 crore mark worldwide.
“We had a party and enjoyed it a lot. I was confident that the film was good but I didn’t expect such big numbers,” Kaushik told PTI in an interview.
“…Lack of sleep. I barely got any sleep so I will sleep first and then I will start thinking about my next film,” he added.
Kaushik revealed that he didn’t want to start his filmmaking journey with a horror film. If he had been allowed his freedom, he would have made his debut with “Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga” opposite Rajkummar Rao, who later played a kindhearted tailor from Chanderi in the “Stree” series.
Kaushik finally produced “Chor…” for Netflix starring Yami Gautam and Sunny Kaushal. The 2023 film was directed by Ajay Singh.
“When ‘Story’ released, I was very nervous as it was my first film. I didn’t want to start my career in horror films and I never thought I would make a horror film. While I was editing the film, I felt this was a different kind of film as I didn’t have any reference point,” he said.
The trailer of “Stree” has been well received and Kaushik is thankful that audiences are willing to tune in to see the sequel.
“People are smarter than us filmmakers and understand that movies offer a new experience. They felt that during the screening of ‘Story.’ The film has since ₹6.5 million to 7 million rupees, and ₹500 crore and Rs. ₹“Rs 13 crore,” he said, reminiscing about the success of his first film.
Kaushik said the challenge after “Stree” was to avoid being a one-hit wonder.
“Luckily, my next film was a success,” he said, referring to his 2019 film “Bala”, which also starred Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar and Gautham.
The filmmaker said his goal now is to “serve” audiences by offering new experiences with each film.
“I was also one of the audience members a few years back and was craving good films, something new. When I got an opportunity to make a film, I tried to offer something new,” he said.
The son of a forest ranger and a schoolteacher, the director was born in Arunachal Pradesh, the same state where the 2022 hit “Bhediya,” starring Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, was set. He grew up in Kanpur and studied in Delhi and Mumbai.
If not a horror comedy, what kind of film would he have liked to make?
“It’s a thriller. I love the genre. I had worked as an assistant in ‘Nobody Killed Jessica’ and ‘Aamir’ so I wanted to direct a thriller as my debut. I wanted to make my debut with ‘Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’ which I later produced,” he said.
His love for thrillers also translates into comedies full of twists and turns.
“I am trying to bring in thrills, surprises, suspense elements, unexpected twists and turns in a horror comedy film,” he added.
“Stree” is written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, who have successful careers in streaming and films respectively. The second part is written by Niren Bhatt, who has also written the screenplays for “Bhediya” and “Munjya”, the “Stree” horror comedy produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films.
On “Street 2”, Kaushik said he was involved in the storyline from day one.
“The script for ‘Stree’ took me four-five months and for ‘Stree 2’ it took nearly two-and-a-half years. I started working on the script before I began work on ‘Bhediya’. I was thinking about how to develop the world of ‘Stree’ and how to bring it all together. I wrote 16 drafts,” he revealed.
While “Story” revolves around the ghost of a woman who was wronged in her mortal life, “Story 2″‘s storyline focuses on a headless villain who has ties to the eponymous character.
“…I had this idea from the first film, where Chanderi is a prostitute called Stree, who beheads the man who kills her, so I thought why not make him the villain.
“The demon Sulkata is taken from a story in our mythology. As a director, I am inspired by mythology and want to use it in a way that will entertain the audience and at the same time convey something important. And there was a story about Ardhanarishvara, who was half man, half woman. I took that from our mythology and culture and incorporated it in the film.”
The film is peppered with references not only to mythology but also to films such as “Mission: Impossible,” “Star Wars” and “The Avengers,” as well as TV shows such as “The Big Bang Theory,” which Kaushik said are part of everyday life for those who grew up watching them.
“When you write a story and add pop culture elements, it resonates with people. For example, in our daily lives, we often use pop culture references to communicate things, so why not use that in movies too?”
“For example, the character Raj likes to sing English songs but doesn’t know the lyrics, so the song ‘Calm Down’ becomes ‘Come Down’. I find humour in these things and felt it suited the story well. I don’t believe in depressing dialogues,” he said.
“Stree 2”, which also stars Shraddha Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurana, Pankaj Tripathi and Abhishek Banerjee, will release on August 15. The film also features Akshay, Varun and Tamannaah Bhatia in cameos.
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