“Stree 2” starring Bollywood actors Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao has become the biggest opener of 2024 with a total collection of INR58 crore in India.
The sequel raked in INR46 crore on its official release day on August 15, India’s Independence Day, before breaking the original movie’s record in advance bookings, an Indian media outlet reported.
The sequel to 2018’s “Stree” tells the story of Chanderi town, being terrorised by the terrifying Sarkata Bhoot.
The residents of the town turn to Stree for help, leading to incidents blending humour with horror.
“Stree 2” sees Bollywood stars Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor reprising their roles from the first instalment to collaborate in an attempt to defeat the fearsome supernatural.
Varun Dhawan as Bhediya and Akshay Kumar made surprise cameos in the horror-comedy.
Read more: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Stree 2’ scores biggest Bollywood opening of the year
The movie tells the story of a headless ghost that terrorises a town in Uttarakhand.
The urban legend behind the Sarkata Bhoot originated from Lansdowne, a town in Uttarakhand.
Narrated by generations after generations, the story is about a headless ghost who is believed to roam around the town every night on his horse in the area.
Locals believe that Sarkata Bhoot guards the area and is also the reason for the low crime rate in the vicinity.
It is a common belief that the Sarkata Bhoot is a ghost of a British soldier WH Wardell who was made the Commanding Officer of Lansdowne Cantt in 1983.
While he died fighting German forces in France during World War I, locals believe that his soul roams around the cantonment area since he was posted in Landsdown before his death.
The original ‘Stree,’ however, tells the story of a vengeful female spirit who targets men, leaving nothing behind but their clothes.
The story is inspired by the chilling folklore of Nale Ba, which originated in Bangalore in the 1990s.
According to the legend, a witch roamed the streets at night to prey on unsuspecting men.
The witch was believed to have the ability to mimic the voices of the men’s mother, wife, or sister to lure them into opening their doors.
The men, who opened the door for the witch, would die within 24 hours, leaving behind only their clothes.
