Stree 2 Director Amar on Shraddha Kapoor's 'Limited' Screen Time: 'We Don't Think, Ye Actor Bura...'

Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 has been making waves at the box office since its release on August 15, but it hasn’t escaped criticism. Some fans have expressed disappointment over Shraddha Kapoor’s limited screen time in the film. However, in a recent interview with Bollywood Hungama, Kaushik defended the creative decision, arguing that less is more when it comes to Shraddha’s character.

Kaushik explained that reducing Shraddha’s on-screen presence actually amplified the impact of her character. “If we added more scenes featuring Shraddha, then her entry would not have had the impact that it had now,” he stated. The director emphasised that every scene in the film was written with the story’s demands in mind, not based on the screen time of the actors. “We write what is required. We don’t think, ‘Yeh actor bura maan jaayega, yeh role bada hai, yeh role chota hai’ (That this actor would feel bad, this role is short or long). For us, the Bible is the script and things have to be organic,” he said.

Kaushik also responded to criticism about Aparshakti Khurana’s reduced presence in the second half of the film. He explained that Aparshakti’s character arc demanded the shift. “Until he got hypnotised or possessed by Sarkata, he was fully there in the madness. After that, he became someone else. It was the demand of the script,” Kaushik noted.

Stree 2, directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Maddock Films, is a sequel to the 2018 blockbuster Stree. The film, which also stars Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Banerjee, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurana, has crossed the Rs 300 crore mark globally in gross box office collections. The story continues to follow the adventures of Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) and his friends in the haunted town of Chanderi, with Shraddha Kapoor’s mysterious character playing a pivotal role in the battle against the villainous Sarkata.

Despite mixed reactions to the screen time of certain characters, Stree 2 has managed to captivate audiences and solidify its place as a box office blockbuster.