Amar Kaushik breaks silence on Shraddha Kapoor's limited screen time in Stree 2: 'We write what is required'

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Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 is enjoying a bumper run at the box office since its release on August 15. However, the film has faced criticism from some viewers who feel that Shraddha Kapoor's female lead character deserved more screen time. However, the director has defended the creative decision, saying that restricting Shraddha's scenes actually amplified her character's impact, making her presence even more significant and memorable. The director spoke about the limited screen time in an interview with Bollywood Hungama.

Amar speaks up

In the interview, he was asked about some viewers complaining that Aparshakti Khurana has limited screen time in the second half.

To which, Amar explained, “Yes, a lot of people told me but that’s how the character was. If you see, even Abhishek Banerjee comes 40 minutes into the film. With Aparshakti, it was vice versa. Until he got hypnotised or possessed by Sarkata, he was fully there in the madness. After that, he became someone else. It was the demand of the script”.

“We write what is required. We don’t think, ‘Yeh actor bura maan jaayega, yeh role bada hai, yeh role chota hai’ (That this actor would feel bad, this role is short or long). For us, the Bible is the script and things have to be organic. My producer also has given me freedom in this regard. Some people even complained that Shraddha Kapoor’s screen time is less. Lekin agar Shraddha zyada dikhti, toh jis tarah ki entry ki usne, uska impact nahin hota (If we added more scenes featuring Shraddha, then her entry would not have had the impact that it had now)”.

About the film

Directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Maddock Films, Stree 2 released in theatres on August 15 alongside other films such as Khel Khel Mein, Vedaa, Thangalaan and Double iSmart.

The Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer, a sequel to 2018's Stree, is nearing the ₹300 crore-mark globally in gross box office collections. Stree 2 revolves around a group of friends – led by Rajkummar Rao's Vicky, a tailor – and a mysterious woman (Shraddha Kapoor). Their town of Chanderi is terrorised by the villain, Sarkata. The film also stars Abhishek Banerjee, Pankaj Tripathi and Aparshakti Khurana in key roles. It is produced by Jio Studios and Dinesh Vijan.