Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Banerjee
Director: Amar Kaushik
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Story
The film is about ‘Stree’, a female ghost who has been visiting the town of Chanderi every year during the four-day festival and abducting men while leaving nothing but their clothes behind. Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) is a skilled tailor who works at his father’s shop. During the festival this year, a girl (Shraddha) asks him to get a ghagra sewed in two days flat and he is unable to refuse. Eventually, he falls head over heels in love with her. His two friends Bittu (Aparshakti Khurrana) and Jana (Abhishek Banerjee) are convinced that she is the ghost. Is she?
Review
Horror-comedy is a fairly new genre to the Indian cinema and is extremely tricky to deal with. We have seen a few bad examples like Golmaal returns (2017) that left a sour taste. However, director Amar Kaushik has done a commendable job with the script served to him. Perfectly blending comedy and horror in the film, he keeps you hooked until the very end of the movie that runs for a little more than two hours.
Written by the Go Goa Gone fame Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, the screenplay is a clever amalgamation of humor, wit, and shock. Special mention for Sumit Arora’s hilarious dialogues that make you laugh at just the right moment.
Coming to the acting performances, the film has Rajkummar Rao in the lead role who is simply a treat to watch. With his razor-sharp comic timing, he once again proves why he’s one of the best talents in the industry. The seasoned Pankaj Tripathi plays the know-it-all Rudra and is brilliant as always. Another supporting cast, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Banerjee and Atul Srivastava, all match the performance toe-to-toe and leave a memorable impression. Shraddha Kapoor brings in a sense of mystery though she doesn’t have many dialogues in the film. Also, there is Vijay Raaz in a special appearance.
Verdict
Stree is a delightful treat that is filled with exciting surprises. There’s humor that will keep you crackling throughout and there is horror that might make you scream. Watch it for Rajkummar Rao, or Pankaj Tripathi, or just comedy, but do watch it.