Shraddha Kapoor decodes success of 'Stree 2', says her best is yet to come

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor says the credit for the resounding success of her latest movie "Stree 2" belongs to its "fabulous team" that crafted a sequel true to the spirit of the original.

The Amar Kaushik-directed horror comedy, a sequel to the 2019 film "Stree", has emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time at the domestic box office, with a collection of over Rs 600 crore.

At an event on Friday evening, where the iconic magazine Screen was relaunched, Kapoor called the film a “pure cinematic joy” and praised the collaborative effort of the crew and her co-stars Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana.

"We have brilliant actors in the film. We have some really entertaining dialogues. So, it has been a fabulous team effort and pure cinematic joy. I'm really proud to be a part of this film," Kapoor said.

For Kapoor, it all began with "Stree", set in the small town of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, where an evil spirit named ‘Stree’ abducts men during the festival season. The story was based on the urban legend of "Nale Ba," which went viral in Karnataka in the 1990s.

"It was about six years ago, and Maddock Films was just up and coming as a production house. All the actors were at very different stages in our careers. We were also growing in our own ways," she said.

"My personal reaction when I heard the first part was that I felt like I hadn't heard a film like that before. It was based on an urban legend, and I was literally falling off the sofa when I heard it. I was so glad that they came to me for this film, which is pure entertainment. I was genuinely laughing at the dialogues and the scenes," she added.

Kapoor, 37, said the movie and her character received immense love from audiences.

"My character is this mysterious girl who comes and goes, and you're constantly wondering about her presence. So, it all began there. And hats off to our producer, our writers, and my director for really cracking the sequel because it's important to not make a sequel for the sake of it.

"You really have to have some substance if you're going to bring people to the theatre and garner genuine appreciation. I feel they stayed true to how a sequel should be made. They did a super job by cracking the story of "Stree 2", getting all the entertainment factors into the film," she said.

Kapoor, known for movies such as "Aashiqui 2", "Ek Villain", "Chhichhore", and "Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar", also opened up about her approach to selecting films.

"I believe that my best is yet to come, and I definitely want to feel, when I am going to be a part of a film, that it is going to be something exciting for me as an actor... to be a part of a particular story that is really riveting, that may have a message subliminally passed on to the audience. I am in that headspace right now," she said.

The actor also said her pace of work has changed.

"There was a time when I was doing a lot of films back to back, and now it's the opposite. It's like one film in three years... And it's fine. I found my comfort in that now because I feel like I want to be a part of films where I feel truly fulfilled and can push myself as an actor while doing something different from what I've done before," she added.

Kapoor also noted that it's not necessary to have a constant stream of film releases.

"My next film hasn't even been announced, and it's okay. It takes a lot for you and for anybody to be a part of a film. It takes months. It takes a lot of work and a lot of prep. I feel that from the bottom of my heart," she said.