Stree 2

how they deal with that emancipation. The messaging of this film is highly relevant given the current times, neatly packaged in the promised horror-comedy genre. Although a bit abrupt, Bhediya fits reasonably well into the narrative, and so does Tamannah Bhatia's item number (I know it sounds very unusual but yet it does fit). The jump scares do what they are supposed to do, and the comedy works too, even if not as good as the predecessor. What makes Stree 2 a winner though is how it has preserved its feminist stance, and the way it reminds us that any kind of study on feminism is not complete without studying the male counterparts. Stree had a female entity at its core, and Stree 2 has a male one. He is sort of on a revenge mission while also satisfying his male ego in different ways. The film compels you to question if patriarchy would really be okay if all women are free and empowered, or it would return to claim what it thinks it owns. The answer is sadly not a very optimistic one. And it is then when all progressive forces need to unite, regardless of gender (or species?) and give patriarchy a cut-throat (pun intended) competition once again. I particularly liked that the "sarkata" ghost was called an influencer. Isn't that the role played by patriarchal representatives since time immemorial? Even long before social media, there have been kingdoms, governments and religions, all of which were led by "influencers" trying to grow their tribe. Most of them were men too scared of women demanding an equal place in society. It continues to be the same now. Shraddha Kapoor in Stree 2 might seem less powerful than in the previous film, and that's very intentional. Stree 2 is about darker times. And just like Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) proves to be a pure-hearted ally in those dark times, many such Shraddhas would like to have Vickys stand by them.