Overview
Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (transl. Woman 2: Terror of the Headless) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Niren Bhatt, and produced jointly by Maddock Films and Jio Studios. It is the fourth installment in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe and serves as the sequel to Stree (2018). The film stars Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana as a group of friends who must defeat Sarkata, a headless malevolent entity abducting the women of Chanderi.
Cast
- Rajkummar Rao as Vicky
- Shraddha Kapoor as Unnamed Woman
- Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra
- Abhishek Banerjee as Jana
- Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu
- Akshay Kumar as Sarkata's Descendant
- Others...
Plot
Following the events of the first film, Stree leaves Chanderi after seeing her statue. Years later, a new threat emerges in the form of Sarkata, a headless ghost who abducts women at night. The townspeople believe the missing women have left for better opportunities. Rudra receives an anonymous letter containing missing pages from the Chanderi Puran with the message "Vo Aayega" (He will come). He warns Vicky, but Vicky dismisses his concerns. One night, Bittu's girlfriend Chitti is taken by Sarkata. A beggar who witnessed the incident confirms the ghost's existence. The mysterious woman from the first film, known as "She," briefly appears to Vicky and informs him about Sarkata.
Production
Kaushik expressed interest in developing a sequel to Stree in October 2018. By February 2022, Rao confirmed that the project was in development, but original writers and producers Raj & DK were no longer involved, having parted ways with producer Dinesh Vijan over disputes regarding the rights to the franchise. As a result, Bhatt took over as the writer. The sequel was officially announced by Dinesh Vijan and Jyoti Deshpande in April 2023. Principal photography began in July of the same year, primarily taking place in Chanderi and Bihar, and concluded by mid-2024.
Release and Reception
Stree 2 was theatrically released worldwide on 15 August 2024, coinciding with Independence Day, and received positive reviews from critics. The film grossed over ₹837 crore (US$97 million) – ₹874.58 crore (US$100 million) worldwide, emerging as the third highest-grossing Indian film and the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024, as well as the sixth highest-grossing Hindi film and the eleventh highest-grossing Indian film of all time.