Rohit's cop-verse Simmba finds rival in Dinesh's horror-verse Stree

Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor in Stree

Several months after Rohit Shetty had first revealed to mid-day that he hoped to create a world that's akin to Marvel's Avengers - even getting his Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) to make a cameo in Ranveer Singh's Simmba - another filmmaker has followed suit.

Dinesh Vijan tells mid-day that the success of his thriller comedy Stree (2018) has him visualise a similar set-up. "We want to create an entire universe in the horror-comedy [space], and that can happen when we have enough characters, like The Avengers did," Vijan says as he chronicles his upcoming slate of films that will introduce a bevy of characters.

Dinesh Vijan and Rohit Shetty

"My next film in the series is a yet-untitled one starring Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma. It is being directed by Mrighdeep Lamba and is expected to go on floors later this year." While Vijan doesn't divulge details of his characters, we assume Rao is likely to reprise the role of Vicky from Stree, should a universe of this nature be conceptualised. Vijan adds, "The story follows two village idiots who get stuck in a frightful situation, but their fool-hardy shenanigans don't stop."

Following this offering, the filmmaker is likely to train his focus on Mounja, the third offering in this series. "While we are finalising the cast, I can say the story is interesting and is based on folklore. It is in contrast to Stree. Instead of a male protagonist, a female [leads it] this time, along with a male ghost."

Finally, the second instalment of Stree will commence after these two ventures release and will bring together the characters that Vijan introduces in the trio.

The filmmaker, who is gearing up for the release of his next Luka Chuppi, says subsequent editions of commercially successful films must be explored only if strong concepts drive them. "If not done right, they affect the credibility of the first film."

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