'Stree 2' director Amar Kaushik reveals how he roped in Akshay Kumar for a cameo

Akshay Kumar, Amar Kaushik Pic/Instagram

‘Stree 2' director Amar Kaushik is on cloud nine as his film breaks records at the box office. And guess what? He already knows what's in store for the third installment! Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao's 'Stree' was released in 2018 and was declared a hit. The phrase 'Oo Stree Kal Aana', from the movie, has been repeatedly used in memes. The film's music also gained significant attention, with tracks like 'Milegi Milegi' and 'Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe'.

The storyline of ‘Stree 2' picks up in the haunted town of Chanderi, where the evil spirit known as Sarkata wreaks havoc. Unlike the previous film, which featured a ghost targeting men, this installment focuses on a sinister entity that preys on modern, empowered women.

The narrative revolves around Bicky (Rajkummar Rao), Bitu (Aparshakti Khurana), JD (Abhishek Banerjee), and Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi) as they join forces with the enigmatic Stree to protect their village from Sarkata's deadly pursuit.

"The universe of ‘Stree' is set now. Because of Easter eggs, we know what our third part will be. It's not written out, but Niren and I made notes and know the flow," Kaushik tells Mid-day.

Interestingly, the film is also being hailed for Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar's special appearance. While the details about his role are not clear yet, it seems that his character is here to stay in Maddock's supernatural universe. But how did Kaushik convince the star to come on board?

‘Stree 2' has led to an influx of conspiracy theories. The most popular one: that Akshay Kumar is Sarkata. What does Kaushik have to say about that? "No. We had an actor Mukesh [Kumar], we modelled Sarkata on his face."

The writer-director duo smartly seeded the future of the franchise with Kumar's character. Was it easy roping in the superstar for the cameo? "It was the easiest casting I've ever done! I was producing Sky Force, which he stars in. I mentioned the character to him during lunch break one day. He was more than happy to do it. On a Sunday, he came in and shot for us!"

‘Stree 2' was released in theatres on Independence Day and faced a major clash at the box office with films like ‘Khel Khel Mein' and ‘Thangalaan'.