What ties all movies in the Maddock Films horror comedy universe together is the representation of social fallacies and Sarkata, the newest villain in "Stree 2", is the symbol of all that is wrong about patriarchy, says writer Niren Bhatt.
The Bhavanagar-born screenwriter, who ditched a high paying corporate job to join showbiz around 2007, is delighted with the response to "Stree 2" but admits the numbers are a "bit crazy".
"People have been asking for the film for six years, but we don't dwell much into expectations," he said, referring to the much awaited sequel to 2018's "Stree" which released on August 15 and is nearing Rs 500 crore mark globally.
Bhatt, who also wrote other successful films in the horror-comedy franchise "Bhediya" and "Munjya", said all these fantastical characters represent something about society.
"Some people complain that there is a lot of humour but less horror or vice versa but these are not horror films where actual ghosts are haunting people. All our ghosts are fallacies of our society. Sarkata is the most warped form of patriarchy.
"Stree is the symbol of matriarchy, she is not a witch. Bhediya is the protector of the forests. We have designed these characters in a certain way. We are not talking about hocus pocus or spirits out of the blue," the writer told PTI in an interview.
While "Stree" revolved around a female ghost, who was wronged in her mortal life, its follow-up focuses on a headless villain called Sarkata with a connection to the eponymous character.
Directed by Amar Kaushik, the new film brings back the original star cast of Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Abhishek Banerjee, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurana.
"Stree 2", which follows Sarkata abducting women with an independent voice, hits harder in the backdrop of the Kolkata alleged rape-murder and the Justice Hema Committee report on women's exploitation in Malayalam cinema.
Bhatt, who keeps his ear close to the ground, said it's unfortunate that these incidents have become a norm.
"This happens every day. It's just this one incident that has been highlighted by the media and we are so shaken about. I follow current trends very closely. You know this is happening, but you try to think about something else tomorrow because you also have a life to lead and you can't always think that you are living in such horrible times. But it all keeps playing in the back of our mind." In one of the key scenes in "Stree 2", Sarkata demolishes the statue of Stree, the guardian of Chanderi, to declare the beginning of his reign.
The writer, whose credits also include hit Gujarati films "Bey Yaar", "Wrong Side Raju", as well as TV shows "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah", said he wanted to recreate the 2003 incident in Baghdad where civilians and US forces destroyed a large statue of Saddam Hussein to mark the end of his rule in Iraq.
"It's a famous metaphor... Whenever there is a change of regime, the first thing they do is demolish the very symbols of the establishment. It was a similar situation in Bangladesh recently," he said referring to how protesters in Bangladesh destroyed a statue of founder Sheikh Mujibur after his daughter Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country amid political unrest.
Not just politics, Bhatt's writing is filled with pop culture nostalgia too. Be it a hat-tip to Marvel supervillain Thanos in "Bala" or a reference to Bryan Cranston's "I am the danger" one-liner from "Breaking Bad" and "Rasode Mein Kaun Tha" meme from "Saath Nibhana Saathiya" in "Bhediya", "I love using pop culture references. The story and screenplay has to be there and I try the line that brings the reference has to go with the character and scene. It makes sense and it also makes those people laugh who get the reference." "Stree 2" is no different. There are hat-tips to "Harry Potter", "Star Wars", "Mission: Impossible", "Avengers", "King Arthur", and even Sufi philosopher Rumi.
"I have many favourites but in 'Stree 2' the one I enjoyed the most was 'Sahi aur galat ke pare ek maidaan hai wahan milti hai woh'," the writer said, referring to Rao's dialogue when his friends ask him where does he meet the mysterious woman he's in love with.
One can't forget Khurana singing "Soft Chitty", the hilarious Indian version of "Soft Kitty" from "The Big Bang Theory", and Bhatt, a fan of the American show, said he had fun sneaking that reference.
"'Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty' is an integral part of my life. I'm a big fan of the show. My whole family is crazy about it. Amar also loves it." With over a week of its release, both 'ghosts' and cameos -- by Akshay Kumar and Varun Dhawan as Bhediya -- are out of the bag.
But Bhatt said he didn't write a key character with Kumar in mind. Kaushik, who is producing the superstar's upcoming film "Sky Force", approached Kumar and he agreed.
"It was sheer madness. He did something we grew up watching him do in films like 'Hera Pheri and 'Khiladi' films. His trademark humour." How did he come up with "Tu Bhediya hai, Animal mat ban", a line with a clear reference to the controversial Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Animal"? The writer said he didn't; it was Banerjee's improvisation.
"He is a crazy guy, he can come up with anything at any time. Some random but very funny lines." Love for Shah Rukh Khan is also a constant in "Stree" films and Bhatt said there's a "great temptation" to include such tributes in the script.
"Who doesn't love Shah Rukh Khan? This film has become such a huge hit, we hope we get to work with him some time soon." With "Stree 3", "Bhediya 2", "Munjya 2", and "Thama" (previously titled 'Vampires of Vijay Nagar'), there is "more fun" to be had in the Maddock Films universe.
But Bhatt said he cannot reveal much at this point.
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