Stree (2018 film)

Stree (transl. Woman; Hindi pronunciation: [st̪ɾiː]) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by debutant Amar Kaushik in his directorial debut and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Raj & D.K. It stars Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao alongside Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee. The plot is based on the urban legend Nale Ba ("Come tomorrow") of Karnataka modified as O Stree Kal Aana ("Oh Lady come tomorrow") in the film.

In late November 2017, Raj and DK approached Rao to star in the maiden production. As part of the preparation for his role of a tailor, Rao learned to sew. In December, Shraddha Kapoor was confirmed as the film's female lead. Raj and DK brought on their first assistant director from Go Goa Gone, Amar Kaushik, to direct the film in January 2018. Principal photography began on 13 January 2018 in Chanderi. Filming took place in Bhopal and Mumbai; the final schedule was completed in May 2018. The soundtrack was composed by Sachin–Jigar with lyrics written by Vayu, Badshah and Jigar Saraiya.

Stree had its theatrical release on 31 August 2018. It received high critical acclaim upon release. With earnings of over ₹180.76 crores against a budget of ₹14 crores, Stree emerged as a major critical and commercial success. The film received ten nominations at the 64th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Kaushik, Best Actor for Rao, and Best Supporting Actor for Tripathi and Khurrana. It won Best Debut Director for Kaushik. The film is the first installment in Maddock Supernatural Universe followed by Roohi (2021) and Bhediya (2022).

A sequel, Stree 2, is in development, expected to release on August 31, 2024, exactly 6 years after the movie.