Stree is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language horror comedy film directed by Amar Kaushik in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles, with Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee in supporting roles. Loosely inspired by the urban legend of "Nale Ba" that gained currency in Karnataka in the 1990s, the film blends horror, comedy and social commentary, and is set in the fictional small town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh.
Produced by Dinesh Vijan under the banner of Maddock Films, in association with Jyoti Deshpande's banner, Stree was a major commercial success and is widely regarded as the founding film of the Maddock Supernatural Universe (also called the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe).
| Title | Stree |
|---|---|
| Year | 2018 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Genre | Horror comedy |
| Director | Amar Kaushik |
| Producer | Dinesh Vijan |
| Writers | Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. (story); Sumit Arora (dialogues) |
| Production company | Maddock Films |
| Lead cast | Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee |
| Music | Sachin–Jigar (songs); Ketan Sodha (background score) |
| Cinematography | Amalendu Chaudhary |
| Editor | Hemanti Sarkar |
| Release date | 31 August 2018 |
| Setting | Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh |
The story is set in the small town of Chanderi, where during an annual four-day religious festival a female spirit referred to as "Stree" is believed to abduct men at night. Locals write the words "O Stree, kal aana" ("O woman, come tomorrow") on the walls of their homes as a deterrent. Vicky, a small-town tailor played by Rajkummar Rao, becomes involved with a mysterious unnamed woman (Shraddha Kapoor) who appears only during the festival. Along with his friends Bittu and Jana and the bookish Rudra Bhaiya, Vicky attempts to uncover the truth behind the legend and protect the town.
The premise draws on the "Nale Ba" (literally "come tomorrow" in Kannada) urban legend that spread through villages and small towns in Karnataka in the early 1990s, where residents wrote the phrase on their doors to ward off a witch said to knock at night in the voice of a familiar woman. Writers Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. adapted this folklore into a screenplay that uses horror tropes to comment on questions of consent, women's autonomy and gendered fear in small-town India.
Stree marked the feature directorial debut of Amar Kaushik, who had earlier directed the short film Aaba. Principal photography took place largely in Chanderi in Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh, with additional filming in Bhopal and Mumbai. The screenplay was written by Raj & D.K., with dialogues by Sumit Arora. The film's visual identity drew on the architecture and atmosphere of Chanderi's old quarters and ghats.
The soundtrack was composed by the duo Sachin–Jigar, with lyrics by Vayu, Badshah and others. Notable tracks include "Milegi Milegi", "Kamariya" and "Nazar Na Lag Jaaye". The background score was composed by Ketan Sodha.
Stree was theatrically released on 31 August 2018. It received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised its blend of humour and horror, the performances of Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi, and its underlying social subtext. The film performed strongly at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2018 against a modest budget, and was widely cited as a turning point for mid-budget, content-driven Hindi cinema.
The film received several recognitions at major Indian film awards in 2019, including honours at the Filmfare Awards and the IIFA Awards, with citations for direction, screenplay, performances and dialogue. Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi in particular were recognised for their work in the film.
The success of Stree led Maddock Films to develop a shared cinematic universe of horror comedies set in small-town India. Subsequent films in this universe include Roohi (2021), Bhediya (2022) and Munjya (2024). A direct sequel, Stree 2, directed by Amar Kaushik, was released in 2024 and became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of all time, reuniting the principal cast and continuing the Chanderi storyline.
The film is regarded as significant for popularising the horror-comedy genre in mainstream Hindi cinema, for demonstrating the commercial viability of small-town settings and folk-horror narratives, and for using genre filmmaking to engage with themes of gender and consent. It also helped consolidate the standing of Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi as leading performers of contemporary Hindi cinema, and established Amar Kaushik as a notable director.