Last Updated:
After delivering one of 2024’s biggest blockbusters with Stree 2, director Amar Kaushik opens up about the pressure-filled journey behind the scenes.
Stree 2 director Amar Kaushik reveals he made the hit sequel under intense pressure and sleepless nights.
After the massive success of Stree 2, director Amar Kaushik is finally catching his breath. The horror-comedy sequel, which dominated the box office in 2024 and garnered praise from critics and audiences alike, catapulted the filmmaker into the spotlight once again. But behind the glowing reviews and record-breaking numbers was a production process filled with immense pressure, sleepless nights, and sky-high expectations.
In a candid conversation with Komal Nahta on his YouTube show Game Changers, Amar opened up about life post-Stree 2. When asked if anything had changed since the film’s release, he replied, “There hasn’t been any drastic change. The film was made under extreme pressure—it was preponed, and so many things happened. So now I’m just trying to relax for 3–4 months. People’s expectations have increased, asking when the next film is coming, but I’m not letting it get to my head.”
He continued, explaining how the pressure of making a sequel weighed heavily on the entire team. “Sequels are always judged harshly,” he admitted. “My writer Niren Bhatt and I kept telling ourselves, ‘Be ready to get criticised. Now let’s just focus on reducing that as much as possible.’”
A major stress point came during post-production. “With VFX, you’re not doing the work directly—you’re giving instructions and managing timelines. And when you realise there’s a lot of work left but very little time, it hits you hard. We didn’t sleep properly for the last 2–3 months before the release.”
Now that Stree 2 is out and thriving, Kaushik is finally taking time to decompress. “After the release, I’ve started sleeping well,” he said with a smile, adding that he’s currently not rushing into another project to avoid burnout and creative fatigue.
Part of Maddock Films’ expanding horror universe, Stree 2 brought back fan-favorite characters played by Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee, and Pankaj Tripathi. The film also featured headline-making cameos by Akshay Kumar and Tamannaah Bhatia, which added extra spice to the already star-studded cast.
Following in the footsteps of its 2018 predecessor, Stree 2 emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year, earning ₹597.99 crore domestically and ₹857.15 crore worldwide.
As for what’s next, Amar Kaushik is content letting the audience relish Stree 2 a little longer while he recharges. “I’m not taking the pressure of ‘what’s next’ on my head right now,” he said. And with good reason—after delivering one of the year’s biggest blockbusters under intense conditions, the director has more than earned his rest.