Dinesh Vijan's horror-comedy universe
Dinesh Vijan's horror-comedy universe is an Indian shared universe consisting of Hindi supernatural horror films. The film series began in 2018 with the release of Stree, directed by Amar Kaushik and starring Rajkumar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor. The plot is the Bangalore legend of the 1980s known as Oh Stree Nale Ba (transl. Oh woman, come tomorrow), about a spirit who knocks on people's doors at night; it received positive reviews and grossed ₹180 crore worldwide, budget of between Rs 14 crore. Later, it spawned with two big successors: Roohi in 2021 which starring Janhvi Kapoor and Rao, followed by Bhediya in 2022 starring Kriti Sanon and Varun Dhawan.
| Dinesh Vijan's horror-comedy universe | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Dinesh Vijan |
| Original work | Stree (2018) |
| Owner | Maddock Films Jio Studios |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | List of films |
The franchise has been commercially successful, having grossed a combined ₹300 crore against a combined budget of ₹94 crore.[1] The franchise has predominantly received positive reviews.
Overview
Stree (2018)
The people of Chanderi live under constant fear of Stree, the spirit of a woman who attacks men at night during festivals. Vicky, along with his friends, decides to unravel the mystery.
Roohi (2021)
Bhawra and Kattanni kidnap Roohi on the orders of Guniya Bhai, who wants to marry her off to his client. However, things take a paranormal turn when they realise that Roohi is possessed by a demon.
Bhediya (2022)
Bhediya revolves around the story of a werewolf,[2] has its roots in popular folklore and is inspired by legendary tales of Arunachal Pradesh, where the movie was also shot.[3]
Films
| Film | Release date | Director | Screenplay | Dialogue writer | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stree | 31 August 2018 | Amar Kaushik | Raj & D.K. | Sumit Arora | Dinesh Vijan |
| Bhediya | 25 November 2022 | Amar Kaushik | Niren Bhatt | ||
| Roohi | 11 March 2021 | Hardik Mehta | Mrighdeep Singh Lamba and Gautam Mehra | Dinesh Vijan and Mrighdeep Lamba |
Stree (2018)
The first installment of the series, centers on the real-life incidents. The people of Chanderi live under constant fear of Stree, the spirit of a woman who attacks men at night during festivals. Vicky, along with his friends, decides to unravel the mystery. The film focused on the "Naale Baa" was an urban legend that went viral during the 1990s in Karnataka. The myth goes "a witch roams the streets in the night and knocks the door." "Naale Baa" has been found written on walls of small towns and villages (Rural Bangalore) for years now. Stree was released on 30 August 2018 in United Arab Emirates and 31 August 2018, in India to positive reviews. It earned ₹180 crore worldwide[4] against a budget of ₹14 crore,[5][6] becoming one of the most profitable horror films in Indian history.
Roohi (2021)
A spin-off film, focusing on the origins of the Mudiyapairi. And also second installment in this series. The plot focused on Bhawra and Kattanni kidnap Roohi on the orders of Guniya Bhai, who wants to marry her off to his client. However, things take a turn when they realise Roohi is possessed by a demon (mudiyapairi). The film is directed by Hardik Mehta and produced by Dinesh Vijan, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. Roohi was released on 11 March 2021,[7] gained negative response from audience and month later film released on JioCinema on 8 April and released on Netflix the next day.
Bhediya (2022)
Bhediya is another spin-off and the third installment in this series. The film starring Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon and Deepak Dobriyal, released worldwide on 25 November 2022.[8] The shooting took place in regions of Arunachal Pradesh - Ziro (Lower Subansiri), Sagalee (Papum Pare) and parts of Pakke-Kessang district- over a span of two months, from March to April 2021.[9] Over 70 percent of the artists in Bhediya are from Arunachal Pradesh.The shooting schedule in Arunachal Pradesh completed on 19 April 2021.[10] The film was wrapped up on 10 July 2021.[11][12] Abhishek Banerjee reprises his role of Jaana from the film Stree (2018) as Bhasker's cousin. Additionally Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Aparshakti Khurana appear in cameo appearences, all reprising their roles from Stree.
Upcoming films
| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stree 2 | 2023 | Amar Kaushik | TBA | TBA |
| Munjha | 2024 | |||
| Vampire | TBA | TBA | ||
| Sunheri Sunhera | ||||
| Roohi Returns | ||||
| Rajasthani Rani: The Beginning of a Haunted Tale |
Munjha (2023)
The fourth film in this series, the film is directed by Aditya Sarpotdar. The star cast is yet to announced. The film will be kickstarting shooting in the first half of 2023.[13] The film will be a standalone film and is yet to announced officially.
Stree 2
The fifth installment in this series, and also a sequel to Stree. The film is directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Dinesh Vijan, featuring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkumar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee in lead roles.[14]
.
Recurring cast and characters
This table lists the main characters who appear in the D.V horror Universe, in alphabetical order by the character's last name.
| Characters | Films | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stree | Roohi | Bhediya | |
| Stree | Flora Saini | ||
| Witch | Shraddha Kapoor | Shraddha Kapoor[a] | |
| Vicky Prashar | Rajkumar Rao | Rajkumar Rao | |
| Bhawra Pandey | Rajkumar Rao | ||
| Roohi / Afza | Janhvi Kapoor | ||
| Bhaskar Sharma / Bhediya | Varun Dhawan | ||
| Dr. Anika Mittal | Kriti Sanon[b] | Kriti Sanon | |
| Janardan a.k.a Jaana | Abhishek Banerjee | Abhishek Banerjee | |
| Bittu | Aparshakti Khurana | Aparshakti Khurana | |
Additional crew and production details
| Occupation | Film | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stree | Roohi | Bhediya | ||||||
| Director | Amar Kaushik | Hardik Mehta | Amar Kaushik | |||||
| Producer | Dinesh Vijan Raj & D.K. | Dinesh Vijan Mrighdeep Singh Lamba | Dinesh Vijan | |||||
| Cinematographer | Amalendu Chaudhary | Jishnu Bhattacharjee | ||||||
| Editor | Hemanti Sarkar | Huzefa Lokhandwala | Sanyukta Kaza | |||||
| Composer | Sachin–Jigar | |||||||
| Background Score | Ketan Sodha | |||||||
| Production companies | Maddock Films, D2R Films | Maddock Films, Jio Studios | ||||||
| Distributing company | AA Films, Jio Studios, PHARS Film | Jio Studios | ||||||
| Running time | 128 minutes | 134 minutes | 156 minutes | |||||
Reception
Stree (2018)
Rajeev Masand of News18 also gave 4.5 out of 5: "Stree is especially entertaining, packed with laugh-aloud moments and a cast that’s on top of their game. It’s one of the most original films this year, and I recommend that you make the time for it."[15] Rachit Gupta of The Times of India offered 4 out of 5, noting the superlative writing and dialogues, but felt the film was a little too long and had some 'ambiguous ideas.'[16] Raja Sen of the Hindustan Times gave it a 4 out of 5 and had a more moderate tone, commending the actor's energy and collaborative efforts but noting a rushed-feeling plot: "The laughs are inconsistent, and the plotting feels sloppy and rushed. The ideas are fine, but the writing needed work."[17]
Roohi (2021)
Roohi received generally negative to average reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 10% based on reviews from 10 critics.[18] Times of India gave it a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 and said, "Roohi is an entertaining blend of laughs and thrills".[19] Umesh Punwani of Koimoi gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and stated "Roohi has its moments, but they’re very few to label this as an entertaining product overall. The acting department shines, and the others remain to be in between from bad to moderately good".[20] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times described Roohi as a "convoluted film". She praised Rao and Sharma's equation in the movie but criticised Kapoor by calling her performance average.[21]
Box office
The franchise has been notable for its profit, with Stree[22] and its follow-up having earned a combined profit of ₹300 crore, according to Hindustan Times.[23]
| Film | Release date | Budget | Box office revenue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stree | 30 August 2018 | ₹14 crore (US$1.8 million) | ₹180.76 crore (US$23 million) | [4] |
| Roohi | 11 March 2021 | ₹20 crore (US$2.5 million) | ₹30.33 crore (US$3.8 million) | [24] |
| Bhediya | 25 November 2022 | ₹60 crore (US$7.5 million) | ₹90 crore (US$11 million) | |
| Total | ₹94 crore (US$12 million) (three films) | ₹300.33 crore (US$38 million) (three films) | ||
Notes
See also
References
- ^ "Box Office: Worldwide collections and day wise break up of Stree". September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "Bhediya: Varun Dhawan turns into werewolf, joins Janhvi Kapoor in horror comedy universe. Watch". The Indian Express. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Varun Dhawan's fans interrupt Bhediya shoot in Arunachal Pradesh, he climbs on top of a car to address them. Watch video". Hindustan Times. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Stree Box Office Collection till Now". Bollywood Hungama.
- ^ "Box Office: Understanding the economics of Stree and the profits it has earned for its makers". Bollywood Hungama. 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Stree". Box Office India. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "New release date... #RoohiAfzana - starring #RajkummarRao, #JanhviKapoor and #VarunSharma - to release on 5 June 2020... Directed by Hardik Mehta... Produced by Dinesh Vijan and Mrighdeep Singh Lamba... Jio Studios presentation". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ "Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer Bhediya to release on April 14, 2022". Bollywood Hungama. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Varun Dhawan And Kriti Sanon Share Their Experiences Of Filming Bhediya In Arunachal Pradesh". NDTV. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Bhediya: After The Film's Wrap, Kriti Sanon Is Busy Dreaming Of "Arunachal Travel Series" With Co-Star Varun Dhawan".
- ^ "Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon wrap up the shoot of Bhediya, motion poster unveiled". Bollywood Hungama. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "Kriti Sanon, Varun Dhawan announce Bhediya shoot wrap with new motion poster". India Today. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ Hungama, Bollywood (19 June 2022). "Shraddha Kapoor to star in Stree prequel; project to kick off in August : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ "Stree 2: Rajkummar Rao-Shraddha Kapoor all set to return for second part". India Today. 4 May 2019.
- ^ Rockstah Media. "That's the spirit! - Rajeev Masand – movies that matter: from Bollywood, Hollywood and everywhere else". www.rajeevmasand.com.
- ^ "Stree Movie Review {3.5/5}: An experimental horror-comedy that is high on laughs" – via timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
- ^ "Stree movie review: Rajkummar Rao's horror-comedy needs more laughs". 31 August 2018.
- ^ "Roohi (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "Roohi Movie Review: An entertaining blend of laughs and thrills". m.timesofindia.com. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Roohi Movie Review: O Stree Kal Mat Aana!". Koimoi.Com. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Roohi movie review: Rajkummar Rao-Varun Sharma's equation stands out in convoluted film, Janhvi Kapoor is average". Hindustan Times. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Stree". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Stree box office collection day 18: Rajkummar Rao's film is unstoppable even after crossing Rs 100 crore mark". www.timesnownews.com.
- ^ "Roohi Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 3 April 2021.