SPOOKY SEQUEL
“Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank,” Amar Kaushik‘s sequel to his 2018 horror-comedy hit “Stree,” is on its way to becoming one of the biggest Indian blockbusters of the year. Produced by Maddock Films and billionaire Mukesh Ambani‘s Jio Studios, the film released on Thursday, Aug. 15, a public holiday in India for Independence Day. It had grossed $33.7 million through Sunday, in just four days of release, surpassing the $21.5 million lifetime earnings of “Stree.”
Set in the small town of Chanderi, in “Stree,” the menfolk lived in fear of an evil spirit named Stree who abducts men in the night. The film, written by the prolific Raj & DK pair and Sumit Arora, was based on the folk legend of “Naale Baa” from the southern Indian state of Karnataka. In “Stree 2,” written by Niren Bhatt, Chanderi is being haunted again. This time, women are mysteriously abducted by a terrifying headless entity. Once again, it’s up to the protagonists to save their town and loved ones.
The cast for both films is headlined by Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee. “Stree 2” is the latest instalment in Maddock’s Supernatural Universe, which began with “Stree” and was followed by “Roohi” (2021), “Bhediya” (2022) and “Munjya” (2024).
INFLAMMATORY INFLUENCERS
BBC Factual has unveiled “America’s New Female Right,” a one-hour documentary for BBC Three and iPlayer. Produced by Mindhouse Productions, the film explores a growing community of young female content creators posting inflammatory content online.
British journalist Layla Wright, 27, travels from Liverpool to the U.S., meeting ultra-conservative influencers across the country. The documentary examines what drives women, some as young as 16, to advocate for a movement seeking to reverse progressive policies.
Wright said: “I wanted to meet the women that had suddenly taken over my social media feeds posting increasingly inflammatory content – girls my age with huge online platforms who seemed nostalgic for an era where women had less rights. It surprised me just how unapologetically controversial they were and despite living just a plane ride away, the views they promoted seemed worlds apart from me and my friends back home.”
The documentary is commissioned by Fiona Campbell and Jack Bootle, with Tom Coveney and Anna Dickeson as BBC commissioning editors. Arron Fellows and Nancy Strang executive produce for Mindhouse. Alana McVerry directs and produces.
Wright, currently creator in residence at Mindhouse Productions, has worked with company co-founder and chief creative officer Louis Theroux since 2022. The documentary is set to air on Sept. 2 on BBC Three and iPlayer.
