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Stree backdrop
31 August 2018Hindi128 min

Stree

6.230 reviews
CriticsMixed

Bayesian avg · 30 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

7.04 ratings
Users

User Score · avg of 4 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Krishna D.K. StoryRaj Nidimoru StorySumit Arora WriterRaj Nidimoru ScreenplayKrishna D.K. ScreenplayAmar Kaushik Director

Set in the town of Chanderi, Stree is based on the urban legend of Nale Ba that went viral in Karnataka in the 1990s, and features Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao in pivotal roles.

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for Stree is broadly positive, with most reviewers appreciating its successful blending of horror and comedy, a combination rarely attempted in mainstream Hindi cinema. Rajkummar Rao's performance draws consistent individual praise across reviews, with several critics also highlighting the supporting cast and sharp dialogue. A recurring undercurrent of commentary on gender and patriarchy is noted by multiple critics as adding thematic weight without being heavy-handed. The most common criticisms centre on an unsatisfying or weak final act, with some reviewers also finding the execution uneven or the pacing sluggish despite the film's stronger elements.

30 reviews · 20 positive · 5 mixed

Praised: Rajkummar Rao's lead performanceCriticised: Weak or unsatisfying final act

AI-generated summary of 30 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (30)

Rajeev MasandTop Critic· IBNLive
7.0
"Stree is especially entertaining, packed with laugh aloud moments and a cast that's on top of their game. It's one of the most original films this year, and I recommend that you make the time for it."
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Anupama ChopraTop Critic· Film Companion
7.0
"...a horror-comedy, which turns out to be subversive commentary on the position and treatment of women in India"
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Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
5.0
"Shraddha Kapoor's part is a bit risible, but she has some breathy moments with Rajkummar Rao. Rao, whose Bicky seems like an extension of his Bareilly Ki Barfi avatar, carries the film."
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IANS· Sify
8.0
"Stree moves in mysterious ways through a labyrinth of lip-smacking interludes, some razor-sharp others blunt to the point of blandness. Even when the momentum of the eerie gets overly airy, there is still enough steam in the storytelling to keep us interested, if not enthralled, to the end."
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Ankita Chaurasia· Bollywood Life
7.0
"Stree certainly deserves a watch for its funny content and the concept that will keep haunting you for long. By the end of it you might also figure out as to what is it that women actually want. Also, what's more delightful than watching good actors on screen!"
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Bollywood Hungama News Network· Bollywood Hungama
7.0
"STREE is a unique concoction of humour and horror that floors you completely. At the box office, this entertainer surely has a chance to tickle the audience's funny bone, send a chill down their spine and ultimately give them a roller coaster experience. Impressive!"
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7.0
"Despite the audacious storyline, there's some semblance of structure and sense. The black comedy also takes a nick at gender disparity without making it overly boring. The same couldn't be said for the songs, which are enjoyable but serve no higher purpose."
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Meena Iyer· DNA India
7.0
"Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao's spooky horror-comedy provides thrills and laughs in equal measure"
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Mayank Shekhar· Mid-Day
7.0
"Rajkummar Rao, in absolute top form, plays this part to near perfection, adding yet another facet to his filmography that is probably as, if not more eclectic than any of his contemporaries'"
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Anna MM Vetticad· Firstpost
7.0
"Stree is like a blind date that turns out well - a tryst with the unexpected filled with exciting surprises. It is a thought-provoking laughathon-cum-spookathon, and one of the most unusual Bollywood films of the year so far."
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"Stree plays an unwavering hand in demonstrating that dread can be unbridled fun when it serves a larger thematic purpose. Go watch this spine-tingling film. It is completely madcap but there is method in its manic madness."
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Umesh Punwani· KoiMoi
7.0
"All said and done, watch Stree for some outstanding dialogues & gut-busting performances. Justifying its genre to the core, Stree is one super-entertaining movie."
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Madhuri· FilmiBeat
7.0
"Along with the laughs and scares, Stree also delivers a strong message without spelling it aloud and that's where the film stands out the most. In one of the scenes, while speaking his heart out to Shraddha, Rajkummar says, "Mor jab saawan ke mausam mein jhoom uthata hain, toh sab log usse dekhar mantra mugdha ho jaate hain, jaise hum aapko dekhkar mantramugdha.' The actor's charming act does exactly that to you."
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"Hindi cinema isn't known for making good horror comedies. But, well, Stree changes that. It has got something for everybody. The film is brilliantly hilarious and scary. The plot leaves a lot of questions unanswered at the end. You find yourself rewinding the story in your head searching for explanations. Despite its confusions, Stree deserves a watch and an excellent word-of-mouth."
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FridayMoviez Reviewer· FridayMoviez
7.0
"Overall, Stree serves justice to the genre that's not much explored in Bollywood. Go out and watch it, get entertained and don't you worry as 'Mard ko dard nahi hoga'."
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Murtaza Ali Khan· APotpourriOfVestiges
7.0
"Nicely wrapped within Stree has a strong message that no one can ignore. If the film has any major weakness it is the ending which somewhere fails to match the film's overall brilliance. Also, it leaves the viewer high and dry. Nonetheless, Stree has enough to keep everyone engaged until the very end. Also, the clever blend of horror and humor is expected to provide a much needed push at the box office."
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Hindustan Times· Hindustan Times
6.0
"There are some laughs in this loony comedy about a female ghost who kidnaps men, though the film had the potential to be much smarter."
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Samrudhi Gosh· India Today
6.0
"Stree has its flaws, but is one of the better horror comedies to come out of the Bollywood stable in recent times. Watch the film for its satire and stellar performances."
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Rachit Gupta· Times Of India
6.0
"Despite all its flaws and ambiguous ideas, Stree is still an entertaining film. This is an experimental comedy, that creates an eerie atmosphere and it manages to be funny and scary at the same time. Writers Raj and DK (who have directed films like Go Goa Gone, 99 and Shor In The City) bring in their trademark humour. The film has its absurdities, it also has its moments but the final act let's it down."
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6.0
"Much like Rajkummar Rao's 'Bareily Ki Barfi', 'Stree' is a small-town story that has its own charm. And also its fair share of laughs and scares."
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Deccan Chronicle Team· Deccan Chronicle
6.0
"Overall, Stree has a lot to like about - it is funny, spooky, crazy and a little bit different. It has some really interesting ideas; its execution is less than stellar, but it still works. If you like humour and meta element in your horror, you will love this movie."
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Kunal Guha· Mumbai Mirror
5.0
"Debutant director Amar Kaushik establishes the setting elaborately but doesn't manage to deliver on the writing. A film like this required a steady hand to carefully balance the chills and thrills along with the outlandish one-liners, ensuring neither is watered-down by the other."
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Shrishti Negi· IBNLive
5.0
"Stree is a movie anyone can enjoy, but only if they can compromise on the horror part."
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5.0
"Stree is boring, slow and stretched. But a few fun jokes and the overall light-hearted treatment makes it a bearable watch."
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Manisha Lakhe· NowRunning
5.0
"There's a tale of Chander town of a 'chudail' (witch) called 'Stree' (woman) who shows up during the four days of the local temple festival and preys on men, taking them and leaving only their clothes behind. A young lad Vicky who's the local tailor and his two friends get embroiled in the witchy tale and begin suspecting a beautiful visitor who shows up only during the festival. Small town rumors and witty one liners make this horror tale funny, but you come away with a niggling dissatisfaction"
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Sreehari Nair· Rediff
4.0
"Not only are the concerns expressed in Stree (patriarchy, consent, prejudice against women) mere excuses to touch our 'sentimental hotspots', the movie itself is a few tricks cobbled together..."
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Nandini Ramnath· Scroll.in
"What this movie succeeds at being is a well-mounted excuse for marrying light horror with glib and unremitting humour (the often hilarious dialogue is by Sumit Arora). The cast is in full flow here, with Rajkummar Rao brilliantly leading the herd as a not-too-bright mushball who becomes Chanderi's unwilling hero. Rao faces competition on occasion from Pankaj Tripathi, and even the perfectly cast Shraddha Kapoor seems to be paying attention after a very long time. Even as Stree begins to collapse under the weight of its contradictions, the actors are always on cue, delivering the steady patter of conversational humour with aplomb and leaping out of their skins at just the right moment."
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Komal Nahta· Komal Nahta's Blog
"Stree is entertaining and engaging. Its comedy and horror will be lapped up by the audience, making it a hit fare."
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""Stree" is the most fun I've had at the movies in a while."
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Namrata Joshi· The Hindu
"Between chuckles and stabs of fear the film offers some lessons in gender sensitivity"
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Cast & Crew

Cast

Details

Release Date
31 August 2018
Runtime
128 min
Language
Hindi
Genres
Comedy, Horror

User Ratings & Reviews

Users7.04 ratings

4 ratings from the community

Community Reviews (4)

AJSept 2018

very excited to see every clip

Before I pen the review, I have to confess that I am not particularly a huge fan of the horror genre. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't watch it at all, as I have seen quite a few excellent ones such as "Omen", "Exorcist" etc. in the past. Even in our film industry, despite numerous mediocre (unintentionally hilarious) flicks there are quite a few which were pretty damn good such as "Raat" , "13B", "Bhoot" etc. When I saw the trailer of "Stree", I was interested to check it out as the star cast included the talented Rajkummar Rao & it belonged to the horror comedy category. So was it able to justice to its genre or is it pathetic that like most of the rest??? The film unfolds in the village of Chanderi in MP which is believed to be haunted by a female ghost who abducts men during their annual festival & leaves behind their clothes. So this continued for many years & none of the people were able to stop the ghost. The latest victim was Jaana (Abhishek Bhattacharya) whose close buddies were Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) & Bittu (Aparshakti Khurrana). Incidentally around the same time, Vicky had befriended a female (Shraddha Kapoor) who had approached him for certain unusual supplies. This naturally arouses the suspicion of Vicky & Bittu as to whether she was indeed the ghost as she wasn't seen by anyone else apart from the former. But how were they going to confirm it & if true, can she be stopped? This is the debut venture of Amar Kaushik, though he has assisted in a couple of projects one of which was "Go Goa Gone"; the first zombie comedy in the country. It was helmed by Raj Nidimoru & Krishna D K, who happens to have prepared the script & screenplay for the present venture. The uniqueness of this flick was that it was both hilarious & scary at the same time, with the men being the ones scared to walk in the dark unlike the normal status quo where women were the petrified group. Kudos to the script writers & Amar for being able to keep the audience engaged & they were also amply assisted by the hilarious dialogues by Sumit Arora. There is no doubt that it is a tad long & could have easily benefited if the meaningless songs were edited out. As for other technical aspects, it was executed well. Rajkummar Rao is undoubtedly one of the finest actors in the country, who excels irrespective of whatever role is give to him. He has done just that as the talented tailor Vicky who goes bonkers for the beautiful lass but musters up courage when he is face to face with the ghost.It's not so often that we get to see Shraddha Kapoor in a meaningful part & she has done utmost justice to her role. Another person who gives tough competition for Rajkummar is Pankaj Tripathi, who had the audience in splits as the scholar Rudra who had answer to everything related to the ghost. Equally impressive were Abhishek & Aparshakti and the rest of the cast who deserves a pat on their backs. Verdict: As expected, the public loved the movie & it has reflected in the box office collections, with the gross amount predicted to breach even the 100 C mark. It's surely a horror flick that will have you entertained with its conversational humour. In short, you will enjoy it!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

TENov 2018

Amar Kaushik's brilliant retelling of a folklore written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK about a spirit that haunts a village for four days every year and hunts on virile men is one of the most awe-inspiring horror comedies you will see in Bollywood this year, and perhaps this decade, for it also boldly captures the timely essence of the world we live in where predatory men hunt on women. TN.

Stree is one of the most priceless films this year. Not only does it have spooky horror, general comedy with better and more jokes and pot loads of romantic comedy masala, but it also has a strong cast- Rajkumar Rao as a tailor, Pankaj Tripathi as a fake scholar who also owns a bookstore, Shraddha Kapoor as a naive, too-good-to-be-true love interest. But this film also makes equally strong points on feminism and women empowerment- it teaches without getting preachy in any sort of way. Amar Kaushik's direction is hilarious and fresh in parts. It is a solid drama with no melodramatic and overtly manipulative musings of the usual outings in this genre. It is an immensely enjoyable ans upbeat film which has crackling conversations and surprising love story. Maybe the only thing which really lets it down is the stilted item song sequence and some misogynistic bits which are rare, only. If you forget and forgive those bits, 'Stree' is an astounding little film which is a satisfying experience. I am going with a 3.5/5 for 'Stree'. It's fun and entertaining.

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