Stree 2 director Amar Kaushik reacts to film’s blockbuster success, opens up about Akshay Kumar’s cameo: ‘Not everything should revolve around stars’

Stree 2 director Amar Kaushik discussed how he delivered a box office hit without relying on big stars and emphasized his focus on storytelling over star power.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | August 20, 2024 10:09 AM IST

Stree 2 director Amar Kaushik opened up its success. (Pic: Connect Cine/YouTube, IMDB)

Filmmaker Amar Kaushik is riding high on the success of his latest release, Stree 2, which has emerged as one of the most successful films in the post-Covid era. Featuring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Abhishek Banerjee, Aparshakti Khurana, and Pankaj Tripathi in lead roles, the film has struck a chord with audiences. In a recent conversation, Amar discussed how he delivered a box office hit without relying on big stars and stressed on the importance of storytelling over star power.

In an interview with Connect Cine, Amar shared his approach to filmmaking, and said. “I don’t know about other films, but we don’t chase after a star. We don’t build our story around a star; instead, we first craft the story and then cast the right people for it. I remember feeling the same way as the audience five years ago, thinking, ‘Where is the story?’ Everything revolved around the star, and I didn’t enjoy that. The audience is smart—they know what you’re trying to sell them. We need to create films that connect with them. Ultimately, we are serving the audience, and I want them to leave the theatre entertained. You can’t deny the value of a star, but not everything should revolve around them. You need to create a star with your team, not just rely on a single person.”

Amar also touched upon Akshay Kumar’s much-talked-about cameo in Stree 2. Fans were thrilled by Akshay’s surprise appearance, which became a major highlight. Amar revealed that he approached Akshay for the cameo while they were working together on their upcoming film Sky Force. After hearing the story and his dialogues, Akshay readily agreed.

Also read | Stree 2 movie review: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao film dumbs down a sharp premise

Talking about the on-set experience, Amar said, “Akshay sir really enjoyed on the set. He wanted multiple versions of the same scene and gave multiple takes. I was just seeing his energy and enjoying it so much. I put Abhishek in the scene and told him to do bindas acting with him, and the way it came out, we even fell laughing on the set. It was also an improvised scene. So, I was making Abhishek sit on the inside but Akshay sir added the line, ‘ come sit on my lap,’ in response, Abhishek added the Covid line. The script was hilarious but the way they acted…that’s how you make a scene beautiful.”

Also read | Stree 2 box office collection day 5: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao-starrer becomes 2024’s biggest Hindi hit, global collections exceed Rs 300 crore

Stree 2 has shattered records, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2024 within just five days of its release, earning over Rs 300 crore worldwide. Reflecting on the film’s success, Amar admitted he didn’t anticipate such an overwhelming response. “I didn’t expect this big response. I think the audience wants such films to come out. Where ever I would go, people kept asking me ‘What is the end of Stree?’ This film was made on public demand. We didn’t hurry with this film because we wanted to do justice to the story. We thought it clicked well with the public when we released the trailer but when we opened the advance ticket sale, we were like, ‘What is happening?’ This is just love of the public.”

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