“O Stree, Kal Aana”
Stree 2 is smashing all the records. The movie has already become the highest grosser of 2024 and is marching towards becoming an Industry Hit. The Maddock’s Horror-Comedy Universe (MHCU) has also been the talk of the town and is considered to be the best universe of India.
On the 6th anniversary of Stree, on 31st August 2024, the writers Raj and DK took us to the journey where all of this began, by sharing a post of social media.
Here’s what Raj wrote on their official handle.
6 Years Of Stree… A Trip Down Memory Lane
26th August 2017 I watched the rain lashing outside my window. I could see our film, A Gentleman, that released yesterday, wash away… literally.
We knew what was coming! Two back-to-back studio films failed… Typically, this type of situation means the end of a filmmaking career.
Later that evening with a heavy heart, I walked out in foot deep water to a coffeeshop with my laptop. Took a long hard look at where DK & I started, what we set out to do, and where we were drifting to. We wanted to make original films, unique films, not the packaged kind. We wanted to push genres. We wanted to make each film different from the other. So I typed out on a blank page,
“O Stree, Kal Aana!”
I dug into one of my lasting childhood visuals—every other wall in my hometown Tirupati, covered with the scribbling, “O Stree, repu raa..” Nobody knew what the story behind that was. All they knew was a strange urban legend that a scary stree will come into your house if you don’t write this. Why? How? What does she want? No one knew.
And I thought, what if she can’t read Telugu? Why is she getting fooled by a silly trick to come tomorrow, again and again? What if she still didn’t care and wanted to come inside? I had let these crazy/silly ideas float in my head for years. Then as I was discussing with DK, it hit us that this can’t just be a silly comedy or a silly horror film. It can be so much more. Thus came the idea of gender reversal—what if men were the ones afraid to go out late at night? What if men had to go through what innumerable women have to deal with every day?
We had already explored the combination of horror and comedy with Go Goa Gone, but we were looking to delve into a more grounded, frightening folktale with a deeper message.
Based on the times when as a kid I couldn’t walk alone at night and had to chant Hanuman Chalisa because someone might ‘call my name’ from behind. Many characters and incidents from school days made it into the film: Vicky, Jana, Narendra, Rudra bookstore, Shankar Shastri, ‘Friendship’, tailor-shop, even the streets with fort walls (Chandragiri) near my hometown we found in Chanderi. DK & I also realised firsthand how a story from Telugu small town can easily make sense in a small town in Madhya Pradesh.
So we dug deep, to dig ourselves out of the hole we were in. We went into hyperdrive and wrote the story every day and every night. And we finished the script in 3 weeks! A little coffeeshop called Potluck in Andheri West became D2R office 🙂 That’s where we met all the crew, all the actors, discovered a great writer-friend at the next table, and discussed endlessly how to start production on this film (like so many filmmakers do at coffeeshops). Ironically as soon as the script was done and the shoot was getting ready, the BMC pulled down that sweet little coffeeshop.
Cut to:
A crew ready to buy into this silly story was put together. A cast was cajoled into doing this film despite it being nonconforming. A film started getting shot despite there being no precedent for this kind.
A super friendly fun shoot happened in the tiniest of the towns, Chanderi, where we stayed in guesthouses and schools, shot all over the town and played Mafia at nights. Many lasting bonds were formed.
And a film was made at the smallest budget possible and dared to go into theatres without a formula, and not following the norms.
Edits were changed, interval points were invented… But the original core story only got stronger at every step.
It was the fastest film we ever made. I guess that is what happens when you have a point to prove, to yourself. On the cusp of the release, we knew something magical was going to happen.
And it happened!
Aug 31, 2018.
A ridiculous story, defying all odds, became a phenomenon.
Glad we went back to our roots. Glad we stuck to the films we want to make. Glad this was the first Hindi film we produced.
A renewed second innings of D2R Films started, on our terms with our kind of stories and with no compromises. The Family Man, Farzi, Guns & Gulaabs, Cinemabandi, Citadel Honey Bunny, Gulkanda Tales, Rakt Brahmand… all followed.
As we look back in the middle of multiple productions, a huge D2R family, buzzing writers rooms, producing, directing, creating, backing beautiful stories, on our own terms… it wouldn’t have been possible without that little coffeeshop, the failures, the hardships, the amazing two-decade-old friendships, and the firm belief that even our kind of stories can break mainstream norms.
I guess every failure is an opportunity to grow. And every heartbreak is a chance to cleanse and recreate.
Thank you, wholeheartedly, for everyone who backed us, believed in us and loved our stories!
Why Raj and DK Left Maddock ?
Back then it was reported that Raj and DK had a feud with producer Dinesh Vijan regarding some profit sharing as per the contract. Exact details are unknown, but Raj and DK left Maddock, never to return to the franchise they started.
As rules, contracts and legality happens, the rights remain with Maddock and they are allowed to use the name and all its IPs (intellectual property) as they please. While Raj and DK will have to suffice with their sweet memories.
Future of Go Goa Gone 2
Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijay started Illuminati Films in 2009. Later in 2014 they split as Saif wanted to work more as an actor and wanted someone to run the studios for him, while Dinesh Vijan wanted to start his own production. Hence, Maddock Films was formed but there was no rift between Khan and Vijan.
After Stree, Go Goa Gone 2 was announced in 2020 by Maddock Films. It was reported that this time, the cast will deal with Aliens. But after the rift with Raj and DK, the film went on the backburner.
Raj and Dk did not have the rights of Go Goa Gone. Saif has said that he has sold the rights (probably to Maddock), but will return for sequel if asked. Now the question is, will Maddock be interested to make Go Goa Gone 2? If yes, when? The most obvious guess is that it will never be made and we should forget about it.
Author: Ishan Jain
Also check out: Check out the new film of Sarkata from Stree 2
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