Raj and DK reveal origin story behind 'O Stree, Kal Aana'

Stree 2 which was released in theatres on August 15 has been breaking all records at the box office The first film of the franchise was released today six years ago The film starring Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao in the lead is a horrorcomedy directed by Amar Kaushik The story came from filmmakers Raj and DK who are today known for films like Go Goa Gone Farzi Guns and Gulaab among many other hits But did you know they penned the story of Stree after their film A Gentleman tanked at the box office As the film completed six years Raj penned a long note taking about the inspiration behind the story of the film and the popular tagline O Stree Kal AanaView this post on InstagramA post shared by Raj amp DK rajanddkComing up with the core idea of StreeI typed out on a blank page O Stree Kal AanaI dug into one of my lasting childhood visualsevery 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 dont write this Why How What does she want No one knewAnd I thought what if she cant read Telugu Why is she getting fooled by a silly trick to come tomorrow again and again What if she still didnt care and wanted to come inside I had let these crazysilly ideas float in my head for years Then as I was discussing with DK it hit us that this cant just be a silly comedy or a silly horror film It can be so much more Thus came the idea of gender reversalwhat 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 dayWe had already explored the combination of horror and comedy with Go Goa Gone but we were looking to delve something more rooted with a deeper messageBased on the times when as a kid I couldnt 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 Rudra bookstore Shankar Shastri Friendship tailorshop We even found the streets with fort walls Chandragiri near my hometown in Chanderi DK amp I realised firsthand how a story from a small town in Andhra can easily make sense in a small town in Madhya PradeshThe beginning of something greatRaj and DK penned the script of Stree in just 3 weeks and got a team together to bring the story alive on screenA crew ready to buy into this silly story was put togetherA cast was cajoled into doing this film despite it being nonconformingA film started getting shot despite there being no precedent for this kindA 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 formedAnd a film was made at the smallest budget possible and dared to go into theatres without a formula and not following the normsEdits were changed interval points were invented But the original core story only got stronger at every stepIt 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 happenedAugust 31 2018A ridiculous story defying all odds became a phenomenonGlad we went back to our rootsGlad we stuck to the films we want to make Glad this was the first Hindi film wegrave producedA renewed second innings of D2R Films started on our terms with our kind of stories and with no compromises The Family Man Farzi Guns amp 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 wouldnt have been possible without that little coffeeshop the failures the hardships the amazing two decadeold friendships and the firm belief that even our kind of stories can break mainstream normsI guess every failure is an opportunity to grow And every heartbreak is a chance to cleanse and recreateThank you wholeheartedly for everyone who backed us believed in us and loved our stories