Karan Johar says success of 'Stree 2' validates strength of solid storytelling, rooted content

Mumbai: Filmmaker Karan Johar on Tuesday said the blockbuster success of horror comedy "Stree 2" is a celebration of both Hindi and Indian mainstream cinema, which in the last few years has been under "scrutiny for combatting" challenges at the box office.

Directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Maddock Films, "Stree 2" released in theatres on August 15 alongside other films such as "Khel Khel Mein", "Vedaa", "Thangalaan" and "Double iSmart".

The Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer, a sequel to 2018's "Stree", is nearing the Rs 300 crore-mark globally in gross box office collections.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Johar said "Stree 2" has validated the strength of solid storytelling and rooted content.

"The JUGGERNAUT MEGA BLOCKBUSTER SUCCESS of STREE2 is not just a celebration for @maddockfilms but must be viewed as celebration of Hindi cinema and Indian mainstream cinema… in the past few years Hindi cinema has been under scrutiny for combatting box office challenges… the post pandemic audience has been evolving and many times difficult to assess … "But the mega success of STREE 2 has not only validated the strength of a solid storytelling and rooted content but also affirmed that humongous conviction, bravado and focus on concept, story and a deep rooted connect with an audience will pay rich dividends at the ticket window!" the filmmaker wrote.

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Johar, who heads his family banner Dharma Productions, said "Stree 2" has "deeply inspired" him as a producer and storyteller.

"The success also affirms that movies are all about the content creators ! STREE2 is all about @maddockfilms and @amarkaushik and @officialjiostudios and the writing team @nirenbhatt … their belief, talent and strategy has resulted in possibly one of the biggest success stories ever !!!!" he added.

The filmmaker also congratulated the cast, including Abhishek Banerjee, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurana, and crew of the movie.

"Stree 2", which has music by Sachin-Jigar, is part of producer Dinesh Vijan's ambitious horror comedy universe that also includes titles like "Bhediya" and "Munjya".