They gasped. They went ‘wow!’ Vicky aka ‘Bikky’ and his ‘Stree’ (or is she?). That is Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor. The duo whooshed through Calcutta on a whirlwind promotional tour on Monday, choosing to spend a large part of their time in the city in the t2 office, interacting with some members of Team t2.
What greeted them as they walked in was a Stree 2 ‘mini-set’. A plastic toy resembling a severed hand. A giant creepy-crawly made of cloth and foam. A couple of ‘hanging skeletons’ and the replica of a skull, all of which left the duo — the lead pair of the Stree franchise, Hindi cinema’s biggest intellectual property when it comes to the horror-comedy genre — both amused and in awe.
The two actors gleefully hammered away at the pinata cakes, one of which revealed ‘sarkata’ — the antagonist in Stree 2 — while the other had the Stree 2 poster pop up. “This is so much fun!” laughed the duo in unison
“This is poora production design,” smiled a delighted Shraddha, looking fetching in a red salwar suit, true to the colour of 'Stree'. “That is why it is The Telegraph! Thank you! So nice!“ smiled Rajkummar, dressed top to toe in black and sporting long locks and a full beard.
What left them even more ecstatic was the super-special Stree 2-themed cake, courtesy the creative folks at Frosted Delight. The cake, comprising everything from ‘bats’ to the unmissable choti (braid), made famous in Stree six years ago, was a huge hit with the two actors who hammered open the pinata cakes in the middle to reveal a few surprises, including a ‘sarkata’, the ‘demon-in-chief’ that takes centre stage in Stree 2, that storms into theatres on Independence Day.
Once ‘sarkata’ had been gleefully smashed to a pulp, Rajkummar and Shraddha settled down for a relaxed chat with Team t2.
Some of these creepy ‘hosts’ were around to welcome our guests
Priyanka Roy (Team t2): Stree 2 is off to a humongous start, as we speak. The advance ticket sales have gone through the roof which is very heartening at a time when most Bollywood films haven’t been doing well. What is the predominant emotion right now?
Rajkummar Rao: Very thrilled, to be honest because what you are seeing, we are also seeing. The kind of excitement among the audience, the kind of advance (ticket sales) that we are seeing... it is very thrilling for us. We can’t wait for people to watch the film.
On the night of August 14, we have lined up paid previews and on Friday, August 15, it is releasing. I think it is going to be a lot of fun because Stree got so much love. It was insane... the kind of reactions we got, it was overwhelming.
Priyanka: Shraddha, are you still surprised by the crazy fandom that happened after Stree released and which continues till this day?
Shraddha Kapoor: When I heard the script (of Stree), I was on the floor. I fell off my couch and I was in splits. I was excited to be a part of the film. And every day on set when we were shooting, five-six years ago, we had a blast. The film has got so much love, the first-of-its-kind horror comedy.
Nobody can predict what the audience is going to think of a film, ever. So, it was really incredible for Stree to get that kind of love. To be a part of a film which penetrated the entire strata of the audience… you had kids going, you had families going. I really enjoyed the kind of reactions I was getting, from kids especially. Their mums and dads would see and tell them: ‘Pataa hain, her eyes turn red!’ Even my cousin sister still asks me: ‘Say na… superpowers are there, na?!’ (Laughs) It is really overwhelming to get that kind of love and reactions and we are hoping that the film (Stree 2) gets the same kind of love, again.
The Stree 2-themed cake, courtesy Frosted Delight (@frosteddelight on Instagram) comprised two dark chocolate pinatas, each containing a cake. One cake featured the sarkata and the other had the Stree 2 poster.
Saionee Chakraborty (Team t2): Stree was a satire. What is the vibe of Stree 2?
Rajkummar: Stree was a social satire. Stree 2 is a true-blue sequel. It is the same world, the same characters... only it is bigger and way more funny and entertaining and the threat is bigger. The sincerity and the honesty is the same, which made these characters so relatable. The same vibe is there and the same energy.
Sometimes you can have the baggage that Part 1 was so successful, so let us do this because it might work. That corruption never came into the picture. We were very sure that we are going to make it without any baggage. We will have fun because that is what translates to the audience.
Shraddha: I think the best part about Stree 2 — and perhaps that is why it took so long to come after the first film — is that there was no settling for just about anything. It was about being true to the film and how the story should move forward. The fact that approach was taken is the only way a sequel should be made.
Our director (Amar Kaushik) and writer (Niren Bhatt) took their time and fleshed out a sequel that justified a story going forward, that really took things to the next level. I am really proud to be a part of this universe.
Rajkummar: The frenzy we saw in the theatres for Stree has only happened with me twice or thrice in my life. People sent videos saying: ‘You have to come and witness it’. I had seem some kind of frenzy for my films Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana. In Stree, during the climax, people were rolling on the floor and whistling.
It is so fulfilling as an artiste (to see such things). At the onset, you don’t realise how people are going to react to it and you do it in all seriousness and then when you see the reaction, it is so fulfilling.
Piya Roy (Team t2): The fact that some kind of paranormal activity was experienced while filming Stree is known. Were there any spooky experiences while making Stree 2?
Rajkummar: Luckily, no. I think the ghosts also loved Stree! They were like: ‘Yeh achchi film banaate hain, let us not bother them’ (laughs).
Shraddha: I think this time they (ghosts) figured out that we are pros and that we don’t get scared now. So, there were no incidents. We were also ready for it... I was ready with my choti, so nobody dared! Meri shaktishaali choti mere saath thi! (Everyone laughs) We were well equipped.
Pramita Ghosh (Team t2): If you had to look back now, what do you think worked so well for Stree that it not only spawned a sequel but also spurred the whole horror-comedy universe?
Shraddha: One of the USPs of Stree is that it brings out an important message in the most entertaining manner and without being preachy. It does so with the most creative screenplay, with the most creative dialogues. It is an amalgamation of brilliant actors, a brilliant writer and director. It has a first-of-its-kind world being introduced to Indian cinema. There was nothing like Stree that we had seen on Indian screens. It was so fresh when it came out. That is what made its way into people’s hearts.
Rajkummar: A lot of films are successful. But it takes a lot for a film to be cult in its own way and to be remembered. When one talks about the horror-comedy genre, Stree will be right at the top.
Saionee: I think each character can have a backstory, can have its own film...
Rajkummar: Oh, ya! I love Jana, played by Abhishek Banerjee, who is a common link (between Stree and Bhediya, which is also a part of the same horror-comedy universe). Abhishek is so talented... you have to watch out for him in Stree 2! Bittu, played by Apar (Aparshakti Khurrana) is also brilliant. The friendship between these three boys (Vicky, Bittu and Jana) is something the audience really loves. The way they all stand by each other... There is this stupid boy (Vicky) who falls in love with this entity and suddenly he becomes a rakshak (protector) for no reason.
And in Stree 2, you must have seen in the trailer where Vicky is told: ‘Abhi sarkate ko bhi tujhe hi bhagana hain’ and he is like ‘Kya?! I am just a tailor!’ Also, I think for a tailor to be this superhero kind of an enigma connects with the audience.
Shraddha: Imagine if every character had a film made on them! It would genuinely be very interesting.
Rajkummar: All of them are very unique and very memorable.
Raj waves to fans who had gathered outside the t2 office to catch a glimpse of the stars
Farah Khatoon (Team t2): Though the characters you play in the Stree films belong to a very different world, do you identify with them in any way?
Rajkummar: I think I am also a die-hard romantic like Vicky. Just like Vicky, the moment I see into (wife and actor) Patralekhaa’s eyes, everything goes wild. (Team t2 and Shraddha go ‘awww’). I am truly, madly in love.
Priyanka: Do you end up doing your favourite Shah Rukh Khan-inspired arms-wide-open pose for her?
Rajkummar: That is what I keep doing. I wake up like that! (Smiles)
Also, if my loved ones faced any sort of danger, like Vicky, I will also be standing right in front without thinking what is going to happen to me.
Shraddha: Because her character keeps revealing itself gradually, I am wondering how to reveal this connection gradually also. But I would say that there is a larger purpose. Let us just say that, that is one aspect that I connect with that may not be so obvious at first, but it is a larger purpose that we connect with. I feel even I have a larger purpose in life.
Priyanka: So do we get to see that in Stree 2 or will we have to wait for a third film to know who this mysterious woman is?
Rajkummar: I don’t know! I don’t know! (laughs).
Shraddha: Some of the questions that the audience had at the end of Stree are going to be answered and then there are going to be new questions that will take birth in this one as well.
Priyanka: I hope we don’t have to wait for six years for the third film....
Shraddha and Rajkummar: We don’t think so this time (both smile).
Rajkummar: We are also getting old, right? We have to be in shape and maintain ourselves.
Priyanka: Stree is based on an urban legend. Is there an urban legend or a horror story that you grew up hearing?
Rajkummar: A lot of it is there in Stree. Like the one we grew up hearing that said that if someone, especially a woman, calls you thrice from the back, then never look back. I could connect with it instantly. It was always told to us since childhood that meetha kha kar ghar se baahar mat jao.
Shraddha: We have so many urban legends in our culture, right? Like when it gets dark, don’t go out, especially when you are a child. Don’t step out unsupervised, don’t go to abandoned places, there are energies over there.
Saionee: Like the annual ‘phenomenon’ of Stree, is there something you look forward to or on the flip side, dread annually?
Rajkummar: I look forward to Durga Puja. On the way here, I video-called Patralekhaa and showed her parts of the city. We both love Calcutta! We have such fond memories of this city. We have a house here at Kasba, near Ruby Hospital. She and I have walked through the city, especially in winters. It has been a while since we came here. Maybe Durga Puja is the right time to come back.
I know it is a crazy time, but it is a lot of fun. Just to walk through the city and go to these small, beautiful cafes, have your coffee, have those little cakes....
Priyanka: But you can’t do that anymore, can you? You would be mobbed!
Rajkummar: Of course I can! I just have to give some pictures (to fans). I can’t stop living my life.
Priyanka: Do you manage to do that even in Mumbai?
Shraddha: It is manageable. My gym is close to my home and to go there, I hop into an auto very often because that is the most convenient way to commute. Sometimes you throw on a mask and you go. And it is also nice to chit-chat with them (fans and paparazzi).
Rajkummar: There is a restaurant called Gangaur close to our home in Bombay and that is the only place where you get phuchkas. Otherwise, everywhere else in Bombay, one gets paani puri. Patra and I go there quite often. Of course, as I said, you have to give a lot of selfies. But that is okay. You cannot miss out on the small things of life.
Shraddha: I think it is nice also, you know. Like when you are integrated into just being normal and living normally.
Saionee: Shraddha, do you dread anything?
Shraddha: I dread my parents (Shakti Kapoor and Shivangi Kapoor) a lot when I am supposed to do something at home and I don’t do it. My God, I can really dread them. And I am sure they doubly dread me as well!
I live with my parents, my brother (Siddhant) and my dog. Today, if I go back without any food from Calcutta, they won’t ask me how my day was... they will be like: ‘Where is the mishti doi?!’ (Laughs)
Rajkummar: Or the biryani!
Shraddha: But on the flip side, I love getting back home after a shoot schedule. I was born in the house that I live in now, I have grown up there and I live in the same room that I have had since I was born.
Pramita: If you ever encounter the supernatural, who from the industry and your life would you include in your ‘ghostbuster list?’
Shraddha: Oh, I would definitely include my dad. I don’t need anybody else! He will come in his Crime Master Gogo avatar (from Andaz Apna Apna) and say his signature ‘Aankhein nikaal ke gotiya khelunga’ line and bhagao the bhoot! (Everyone laughs out loud)
Rajkummar: I think I would call ‘Stree’, because for some reason, she is very fond of me. She never troubles me because I have this love in my eyes for her (laughs). She can handle everything. I will give her back her choti too. Another person would be Patralekhaa. She is a strong Bengali girl.
Shraddha: I genuinely feel my dad is enough. I will tell him: ‘Bapu, aap hi karlo, main baithkar phuchka kha leti hoon.’ He will happily do it!
Piya: Apart from Stree, which character or film from this horror-comedy universe is your favourite?
Shraddha: Can I be very honest? Stree is my favourite. I believe it is a very good film. I am a fan of the film itself.
Rajkummar: You can even do a public poll. I am sure that most of the people would say Stree.
Farah: What is the one literal and one metaphorical thing you are most scared of in life?
Rajkummar: I am very scared of losing my loved ones. I have experienced it and it is the toughest thing. I also fear what would happen if one day, I wake up and get the feeling that I can’t crack a character, that I just can’t do it in front of the camera. What if someone takes it (his acting ability) away?
Shraddha: My biggest fear would probably be losing my loved ones. I cannot even fathom that!
Also, I get startled very easily. It may sound bizarre but even if you pop a balloon, it will sound like a loud bomb to me. So if you see me put my fingers in my ears, you will know that it is one of those moments. Also, I am petrified of thunder. I have to roam around with earplugs.
Priyanka: What does your dog do then? Dogs are petrified of thunder!
Shraddha: We take care of each other. We are like behen bhai, ek doosre ka sahara! (Laughs)
Priyanka: Since it meshes two strong genres, what is the toughest thing to pull off in a horror comedy?
Rajkummar: The toughest thing is to find the fine balance between how much to scare people and how much to make them laugh. The whole screenplay has to hold well. It cannot be set pieces. To crack the right story with ample amount of comedy and horror is key. The writing is the toughest part and then, of course, as an actor you improvise and take it a notch higher.
A lot of my friends like Huma (actor Huma Qureshi) tell me — pardon my language — ‘Jab teri phati hoti hain na, jab tu darta hain, toh humko bada mazaa aata hain!’
Saionee: Fear is deeply psychological and is said to stem from insecurities. How do you battle your personal demons?
Shraddha: I think that battling your demons is constant work. I try to spend time with myself, try to be self-aware... sometimes it is very tough to look at your fears straight in the eye. I feel it is a lot of internal work and sometimes it is hard. What helps me is the fabulous support system I am blessed with.
I feel it is very important to spend time with yourself and sort things out. You can even go for therapy if you feel the need for it. One must definitely reach out and speak to their friends and loved ones. I feel that most often we give time to everybody but ourselves. Even if we spend a few moments every day with ourselves and what we want, it is the most important thing.
Rajkummar: I would say two things — one, of course, is being around my wife. Again I am mentioning Patralekhaa, but when she is around, I feel everything is fine. And it is the same for her. We feel that both of us together make the world a happy place… a safe place, you know. I feel very safe and I feel nothing wrong can happen to us when we are together.
I also find a lot of solace in spirituality, I find a lot of answers in spirituality. When things are not going my way or when I am tense and anxious about work, spirituality helps. My job is to be an actor, to entertain people and to explore myself and grow as an artiste. I try and do that with every film, every character. As long as that is happening, I don’t feel insecure about anything.
Shraddha: It also helps when you have a pet. There is just something about the way animals love (you). I can’t explain it, but they just become a source to heal parts of you.
Pramita: ‘Stree kuch bhi kar sakti hain’ is what your film says. If you could acquire a superpower, what is the one thing you would do that you otherwise cannot?
Shraddha: Being a ‘stree’ in itself is a superpower. Being a woman, I already have that superpower. Aside from that, if I could, I would want to make my loved ones immortal.
Rajkummar: I would love to have so many superpowers. One would be time travel. I want to see how my mother was when she was a baby. I would love to be her friend and see how she was because she dedicated her life to raising us with a lot of struggle. I would like to see her as a teenager and be her friend. I also want to fly to be able to beat the terrible traffic we have in all metro cities.
The many moods of Shraddha and Rajkummar during the chat with t2
Piya: Stree 2 allows you to play your characters once more. Is there a character you have played in the past that you wish you could play again?
Rajkummar: A lot of people have told me that they want to see my character (Satyendra) from Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana in a sequel. They loved that role. It is a very popular film, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
And Pritam Vidrohi, I think, from Bareilly Ki Barfi, can have his own film. Even Alu from Ludo can have his own film. Newton Kumar (from Newton) can be in some other (government) post, doing his job sincerely.
Shraddha: I think because the story could probably lend itself to ideas on what happens to Aarohi (in Aashiqui 2), it would be nice to play her again. The film ends at that point where it would be interesting to see how she goes on and what happens next.
Farah: What is that one horror film that you left midway while watching and one comedy film that you have watched a couple of times?
Rajkummar: Comedy would be Andaz Apna Apna. I have seen that umpteen number of times. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, again a number of times. I like watching horror a lot. I think The Conjuring is very scary. The first Paranormal Activity film was very believable and I felt it could happen to me too!
I watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose without knowing it is a horror film. I didn’t know the meaning of ‘exorcism’ at that time. I was very new to FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) Pune. I was homesick and I would call my family from an STD booth every day and cry that I missed them. But I had to, of course, be there and educate myself in acting.
One Sunday I thought I would go watch a film. My English was not that great at that time. I saw that The Exorcism of Emily Rose was playing and decided to watch it. There were only four-five people in a big audi and after it started, I realised it was a horror film! I managed to watch the whole thing but I was shit scared and then I also found out it is a true story!
“This was such a cool and fun chat,” was the verdict from the Stree 2 actors
Shraddha: There is a horror film called Hereditary. Oh my goodness gracious me... I just couldn’t watch it! I was like: ‘What is going on?! How is one even allowed to make a film like this?!
I am very sheepishly admitting this, but when I watched Stree and the part where my face turns, I have gone like this (hides her face with her palms), which is bizarre because it is me up there!
As for comedy, I have been a huge Sridevi fan. I love the kind of comedy she has done. I love Chaalbaaz. And, of course, Andaz Apna Apna is evergreen.
