Amar Kaushik decodes casting process for ‘Stree’: All actors were perfect fit for their characters

PTI, Sep 1, 2024, 5:31 PM IST

Mumbai: Be it Rajkummar Rao’s Vicky, the popular tailor of the small town Chanderi, the worldly wise Rudra Bhaiya portrayed by Pankaj Tripathi, or the unnamed mysterious woman essayed by Shraddha Kapoor, director Amar Kaushik says all the actors in the “Stree” horror comedy universe were perfect to play their characters.

“Stree” released on August 31, 2018 and went on to emerge as a box office and critical success. Its much anticipated sequel “Stree 2”, also directed by Kaushik, hit the screens on August 15 and has grossed over Rs 500 crore in India till date.

“Stree 2”, penned by Niren Bhatt and produced by Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films, brought back other original cast members Abhishek Banerjee as Jana and Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu.

Walking down the memory lane, Kaushik said he had three actors in his mind to play Vicky but he eventually realised that Rao would be apt for the role.

“When we were writing the first ‘Stree’ there were three options for the character of Vicky, I was asked who I would like to cast.

“I wanted to make ‘Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’ (which he later produced) with Raj but that film didn’t happen. So, he is the first actor I knew in the industry. I felt Raj would be the ideal choice for the character of Vicky. All the actors were the perfect fit for the characters that they played,” he told PTI.

Tripathi came on board even without reading the script of “Stree”, which was written by Raj & DK with Sumit Arora credited for dialogues.

“I met Pankaj sir at a film festival where he had seen my short film ‘Aaba’ and loved it. He said ‘Let me know about your next film’.

“I met him at a cafe (later) and he said, ‘Main karta hoon’ (‘I’ll do it’). I don’t think he had even read the script when he said yes. He had said yes after listening to the narration of ‘Stree’,” Kaushik added.

The director credited Vijan for casting Kapoor.

“It was his (Vijan) idea that she should be part of the film. They met on a flight and they both talked about ‘Stree’,” he said.

Kaushik, who knew Banerjee as a casting director, said he had a gut feeling that the actor would be good at comedy.

“Abhishek had never done comedy and I thought he should do this film. I had known him while he was casting and when he would read the lines while casting for the films, I felt he could be a great actor.

“I told him when I would direct my first film, I would like to cast him. So, when ‘Stree’ happened, I approached him. He wanted to play Bittu’s character. But I told him that he seemed closer to the role of Jana, and he agreed,” the director, who made his debut with “Stree”, said.

“Stree 2” had a cameo by Akshay Kumar which added an extra spark to the movie and Kaushik said the Bollywood star agreed to be a part of the sequel after listening to his character’s lines.

“I was shooting with Akshay sir for my next film, ‘Sky Force’ in London, which I’m producing. He asked me, what I’m doing next. I told him, ‘I’ve got a cameo in my directorial venture. Will you do it?’ He said, ‘I’ll do it, tell me what it is about’. He instantly said yes after listening to his dialogues.” Scripting on the third installment of “Stree” is complete.