4 Years of Stree: How this film paved way for the success (and horror) of horror comedies

When Priyadarshan made Bhool Bhulaiyaa in 2007, there was no social media. There was nobody to describe the exact genre of the film. It had both horror (being taken care of Vidya Balan) and comedy (being handled by the then infallible Akshay Kumar). It was only after Amar Kaushik made _Stree_ in 2018, with Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, people knew a filmmaker could scare you and make you laugh together. [caption id=“attachment_11149611” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Stree[/caption] It was a runaway hit. The setting was sold to perfection. Chanderi was a town unheard of, the fictional folklore the film presented was both fascinating and frightening. It rightly walked the tightrope of two drastically opposite genres (Ala Pran in Don) and reached the finish line with ease and ample doses of entertainment in between. Bollywood enjoys corrupting genres and trends. Many have lashed out at the industry for still believing in herd mentality. After Stree, it was expected many films in the same vein would follow. Rajkummar Rao and Dinesh Vijan came together for a very forgettable horror-comedy called _Roohi_ , whose title was change more number of times than the people who saw it. Slapstick and silly in all the frustrating ways, this was a no show, pandemic or not. [caption id=“attachment_11149621” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Roohi[/caption] Akshay Kumar, after saving the possessed, chose possession as his tool for the ludicrous _Laxmii_ . A horror comedy that was devoid of both horror and comedy. A film that solely lacked the slapstick nuances of the original Kanchana. Kumar’s turn as the transgender deserved a better treatment. [caption id=“attachment_11149631” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Laxmii[/caption] We then made _Bhoot Police_ , where the only actor who surrendered himself to the lunacy of both the genres was Saif Ali Khan. The man still has it in him to outwit and overshadow the young guns of Tinsel Town. The others in the cast, Arjun Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Yami Gautam, were trying so hard to justify the confusion and conflict of their characters, they forgot to have fun. They forgot the film wasn’t directed by Vikram Bhatt. [caption id=“attachment_11149641” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Bhoot Police[/caption] Kartik Aaryan’s _Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2_ is one of the only bona-fide blockbusters of the year. And the leading man looks comfortable in comedy alongside seasoned and veteran stars like Sanjay Mishra and Rajpal Yadav. Yet, the film had the winsome charm of Stree conspicuously missing. Major props to Tabu for owing this character entirely too, saddled with hideous makeup to look convincing as an evil spirit that turns out to be an angel. [caption id=“attachment_11149661” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2[/caption] It’s now time to witness another name in the list- _Phone Bhoot_ . This is a film that stars Katrina Kaif, Ishaan Khatter, and Siddhant Chaturvedi. It also has Jackie Shroff in an outfit frighteningly reminiscent of what he donned unabashedly in Bhoot Unkle. For the makers, their actors making poker-faced expressions for the cameras is enough to justify one half of the genre. Horror is automatically taken care of by the quality of the product. [caption id=“attachment_11149671” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Phone Bhoot[/caption] Hopefully, Phone Bhoot should get the number right. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.