Filmmakers Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, popularly known by the moniker Raj & DK, took to social media on Saturday to tell the story of the making of their 2018 blockbuster Stree. The Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor starrer, completed six years since its release on Saturday (August 31). Raj & DK were the writers of the film which served as the directorial debut for Amar Kaushik, who went on to helm Bhediya (2022) and Stree 2 (2024).
The writer-directors known for creating acclaimed series like The Family Man, Farzi and Guns & Gulaabs shared a long note on X and Instagram, talking about how they were down and out after two box office failures (Happy Ending, 2014 and A Gentleman, 2017). The note, written by Raj, starts, “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!,” he added.
Raj also shared how his childhood experiences in Tirupati shaped Stree’s screenplay. “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.”
After describing the making process of the film, Raj concluded, “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.”
“I guess every failure is an opportunity to grow. And every heartbreak is a chance to cleanse and recreate,” he added.
Stree’s sequel, Stree 2 has erupted a storm in tehatres. The film, also starring Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee, has crossed over Rs 450 crore at the box office.