Interpreting the exclusive PR marketing strategies, we come up with Part 5 of our series by focusing on this week’s release: Stree
This movie is pegged to be the Indian version of the Hollywood horror classics such as Conjuring albeit with a twist with Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor in the lead. The much-awaited comedy-horror is all here to spread its dark spells thanks to a compelling narrative.
Directed by Amar Kaushik, Stree is set against the backdrop of a small town named Chanderi (Madhya Pradesh) and features Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana in key roles.
Stree revolves around a ‘ridiculously true phenomenon’ of a town terrified of an annual visit of a female spirit who allegedly preys on men.
First Look
Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao quenched our curiosity by giving out a new poster along with a reminder of the trailer.
The poster which features Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao in the centre also has a creepy shadow in the setting. Both the actors seem to confront each other in the poster with a smile.
They even shared the poster with significantly different captions. To keep up the buzz around the film, a day ahead of the poster and trailer release, both the leads deleted all of their posts from their Instagram accounts and replaced them with the tagline of the film ‘Mard Ko Dard Hoga’.
The preview looks like it is the fable of a ghost named Stree, who kills men when she visits the town every year for four days. In a slight peep, shared by Rao a few months ago, we saw a small abandoned town where no one was in sight. The walls of the town were painted with the message, ‘O Stree, kal aana’ (Stree, come tomorrow). A voiceover announced, ‘Yahan koi mard nahi’ (There is no man here).
We also see a love story brewing between the two lead characters. Rao’s act is on the mark as usual but the lines here are set aside for Pankaj Tripathi.
What the story of the movie is, has been intentionally kept under wraps. The trailer also shows a glimpse of a dance number featuring the lead actors and Rao’s character dimly reminds us of his role in Bareilly Ki Barfi.
Promotion Goals
Rajkummar and Shraddha, both set the stage to tempt their fans with their upcoming horror comedy. The actors are leaving no stone unturned to promote their film in metros.
On trailer launch, the team shared their experiences of haunting and also elaborated on the plot of the film.
Producers Raj and DK told the mass that the film was an ironic take on the plight of women. ‘Here, men are victims. They are told not to roam around at night and to dress properly,’ as said by the producers. They also talked about the inspiration behind the story of Stree, ‘We experienced something supernatural when we were in college in Tirupati. Then, learned it is also happening in Bangalore and the North. So there was a pattern which led us to make this film.’
On one of the promotions, both the led actors tried their hands on wearing a sari. Their crazy prank added an interesting twist. Kapoor along with Rao, who also wore sari posed for the paparazzi in that.
The usual Tv show rounds were included. Shraddha and Rao were spotted on the sets of dance reality show Dance Deewane, where they enjoyed exceptional dance performances along with the judges Madhuri Dixit, Shashank Ghosh and Tusshar Kalia.
Shraddha’s Boho Look
During the promotions of the movie, Shraddha was found nailing it in ethnic attires, giving us chic Boho looks.
The 31-year-old made a conventional style statement in an Aisha Rao creation while promoting her film along with Rajkummar Rao. The ‘Forest Phantom Lehenga’ featured bright quirky prints on it paired with oversized earrings gave a contemporary look.
Another day, Ms Kapoor donned a white Tropez skirt and a similar pleated top. She completed off the look with stacked bracelets and a pair of kohlapuris.
Shraddha channelized her Boho girl look with a printed jumpsuit and a tan belt tucked at the waist. To lift up the look she accessorized it with outsized silver earrings and a nose pin. However, it was the tinted eyeliner and Dutch braid that took our heart away.
Besides the marketing data, the film holds up high on concept. Based on the Indian urban legend of ‘Nale Ba’ produced by Dinesh Vijan, Stree is slated to hit screens on 31 August.
