Maddock Horror Comedy Universe gives us a stree, but never a saviour

Stree, which kick-started the MHCU, was a cleverly written horror comedy rooted in Indian folklore. Through a blend of horror and humour, the makers subverted the traditional gender associations of prey and predator, creating a film that entertained and critiqued the constraints and constant threat of violence that women face in a patriarchal society. Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) is a good-hearted tailor from Chanderi who can take a woman’s measurements simply by looking at her. But apart from displaying basic decency and conveniently meeting the requirements of the ‘Chanderi ka rakshak’ as listed in an old fable, Vicky has no knowledge or skill to tackle the supernatural. To be fair, he doesn’t pretend to have any either. It’s Shraddha Kapoor’s character, seemingly well-versed in the dark arts, who guides him every step of the way and tells him how to diminish Stree’s powers. In Stree 2, Vicky’s house has a board outside that says ‘Chanderi ka rakshak’, which I found amusing and a telling example of how men take credit for accomplishments that were not entirely theirs. When Stree’s absence gives rise to a new menace of a headless demon, it is Shraddha Kapoor’s character who comes to the rescue again, helping Vicky in a large-scale battle where she has to summon Stree to help them defeat the demon.

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While Shraddha Kapoor’s character and Stree’s spirit help Vicky and his friends battle supernatural forces bothering their small town, in Bhediya and Thamma, the women have a more direct physical involvement in the hero’s transformation. In Bhediya, Varun Dhawan plays Bhaskar, an ambitious man from Delhi who wants to build a road through a jungle in Arunachal Pradesh and bring ’development’ to the region. Anika (Kriti Sanon) works in the area as a vet, but unknown to anyone, she is a shape-shifting werewolf protecting the jungle from the capitalistic ambitions of city dwellers. In a bid to drive him away, her animal form bites Bhaskar, but he turns into a werewolf instead. Only when Bhaskar transforms physically does he undergo an emotional change as well, realising the importance of balancing ecology and economic development. Her actions help him find a larger purpose, but there is little else she does in the movie. Bhediya could well have been Anika’s story – the story of a female werewolf who fights to save the jungle she has safeguarded for a century. Instead, she is reduced to a catalyst in Bhaskar’s story, taking him from the guy next door to a powerful Bhediya.

In Thamma, too, there is a similar sequence of events. A mediocre journalist, Alok Goyal (Ayushmann Khurrana), accidentally stumbles upon Tadaka, a suitably exotic-looking woman who lives in the jungle. She is a betaal or vampire, and belongs to a group of undead beings that survive on blood. Not human blood, though, because there is a moral angle there. Alok and Tadaka are attracted to each other, and when faced with the threat of separation, she breaks the one cardinal rule of her tribe to immortalise the man she loves. It’s ironic that though Tadaka fights the bad guys, rescues Alok multiple times and teaches him the ways of his new world, Thamma is written as Alok’s journey from being a loser to a leader.

The surprise hit Munjya also followed this template. Bittu (Abhay Verma) loves Bela (Sharvari), who happens to look like Munni, a young girl that the film’s villainous boy ghost or Munjya, was obsessed with. Bittu inadvertently releases Munjya from a peepal tree, who begins haunting him and insisting he fulfil his dream of marrying Munni. Desperate to escape Munjya’s clutches, Bittu seeks help from his friend, family, an exorcist, Bela and his grandmother Gita, who loses her life to the evil spirit. Whether it is by virtue of this being a Bollywood film or an MHCU film, Munjya becomes Bittu’s story of defeating a vindictive ghost when it could easily have been Bela’s, Munni’s or his grandmother’s story. Given that the Munjya has no respect for a woman’s consent, it could have been poetic to see a woman end his menace.

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To give it due credit, the horror comedy universe has expanded the horizons of homegrown horror/horror comedy films by adapting Western concepts of werewolves and vampires to an Indian context, and offering a fresh perspective on Indian horror elements like chudails and munjyas. Unfortunately, the MHCU universe, which advocates for balance – whether between genders, progress and preservation, or diverse social groups – has played it safe by creating stories that allow male stars to shine and men to continue playing saviour. Hopefully, with Shakti Shalini starring Aneet Padda and future sequels of already released films, this imbalance will be addressed. It all started with a Stree after all.