Amar Kaushik, currently the most successful filmmaker of the country—would Rajamouli please move over – feels the mounting pressures of carrying the country’s most successful franchise—would Munnabhai move over?—forward. “Ever since I thought of making this film, there was obviously a pressure, there is a pressure of a sequel.I started with that pressure and fear but I didn’t allow that pressure to come into my mind and the team’s mind.We have to do our best because most of the time it happens that audiences’ response to the sequel is that the first film was better, so it was a challenge for me. I am a little apprehensive as to what I will do next. But somewhere I am also happy that whatever I have done , people are liking it a lot.Sir, basically this sequel is what the director , me,wanted,the producer wanted it, the public wanted this, they wanted this film, there was a demand from the public that they wanted to see the second part. I wanted to see what I did in the second part because in the last four-five years, after the first part, whatever I was doing, wherever I was going, people always asked me about it and there were many questions about it that they wanted to ask me, so I used to say yes, I am thinking, I am writing, it is coming.”
The idea for the sequel germinated when Amar finished shooting the first part. “It took time to crystallize because I was making something else. Then while making Bhediya, I felt that it should be given the shape of a universe, it should be taken to different universes, that’s why I brought one of my characters from Stree to Bhediya, Jana(Abhishek Bannerjee)’s character. So, somewhere, this is the public’s film more than my film.As soon as the trailer came, we got people’s reactions. As soon as the booking started, we got people’s reactions. As soon as the film started and the reactions from the people were received, it was proved that this is a public film, not ours.We were aware that it is a sequel and in the sequel,we have to keep all those ingredients that people liked in the first part, intact. If you talk about the fact that people liked the fear, they liked the comedy in it. They liked the characters in the first Stree film a lot.The world of Stree was very honest, so when we were starting our film, the first thing we told them was that we should be very honest. But we did not put any pressure on ourselves. Honestly the characters, their world that was there ;we just had to take them forward.
Speaking on how the sequel evolved on paper, Amar Kaushik let out, “We let the first draft evolve. What kind of sur does it catch? Then came the second draft comes, how the film picks up the sur, the tune and in doing that fourteen drafts were created. After that I narrated the script to the actor. Then I started smiling that yes , it is very well written ; that when this character will say this line, it will go down well with the audience. How many times can the audience be scared of the same ghost ? There can be different situations for fear and humour.We made sure that we were not repetitive.The characters had to evolve , the villain’s character has progressed, Jana’s character has progressed, Bittu, Vicky, Rudras and Shraddha… the journey of all these characters had to be shown. All this was very important. We had to create a story which is better than the first, only then people will enjoy it and obviously there was a fear as to whether it will come out right or not…is what you are doing right or not? Then finally the director’s conviction pays off. That if I were the audience, I would think it would be right. This came out right because six years ago I was also part of the audience.Now I have started making films.I saw this film as my audience and then my taste and the taste of the audience matched.”
The director refuses to take too much credit for the film’s success? “Sir, this film Stree is neither my film, nor just the producer’s film, nor any one actor’s film. This film is a team film. If even one member of the team had not performed well, this film would not have been a success. So, taking ownership of it would be very small of me . To say that it happened because of me. This is a team work, even if it is my spotboy, my ADs, my cinematographer, my sound designer, my foley artist, everyone, Sir, even the actors, even the small roles that they played….The production designer, the VFX team, without them, not a single step has been taken wrongly.So I don’t want to take ownership of it and neither should anyone. I think that you can dream of filmmaking alone, but you need people to fulfill that dream, so these people are the ones who have contributed to fulfilling my dream.”
Amar isn’t sure of what he will make next. “I don’t know right now but now, this is it . Sir, the public will keep asking for this franchise. Sir, we will have to give it to them and we will have to give it with the same honesty. But apart from that, as a filmmaker, I always want to explore new things, that is why I am producing now, I am getting involved in the films which I am not able to make right now. I am giving all the members of my team, ADd, who were with me, a chance to make films.Because I also got a chance like that. I want to produce films with all those who were associated with me or with all the talented people around me so that I can break away from my bug of doing only horror .Just like I made Bala, I am thinking of making something new. A franchise is such a big thing that it takes up a lot of your time. The FX is very heavy in the Stree films. I feel like doing something different.”