Stree (2018 film)

Stree: Mard Ko Dard Hoga (transl. The Woman: Man will feel pain) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by debutant Amar Kaushik and produced by Dinesh Vijan alongside writers Raj & DK in their production debut. Loosely based on the urban legend Naale Baa meaning "come tomorrow", it stars Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee.

In late November 2017, Raj & DK approached Rao to star in their debut production. To prepare for his role as a tailor, Rao learned to sew. In December, Kapoor was confirmed as the female lead. Kaushik, a first assistant director to Raj & DK on Vijan-produced Go Goa Gone (2013), was enlisted to direct the film in January 2018. Principal photography began on 13 January 2018 in Chanderi, with additional filming in Bhopal and Mumbai. The final schedule was completed in May 2018. The soundtrack was composed by Sachin–Jigar with lyrics written by Vayu, Badshah and Jigar Saraiya.

Stree was theatrically released worldwide on 31 August 2018 and received positive reviews from critics. The film grossed over ₹180.76 crore at the box office against a budget of ₹23–25 crore, becoming a major commercial success at the box-office. At the 64th Filmfare Awards, the film received 10 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Kaushik), Best Actor (Rao) and Best Supporting Actor (for both Khurana and Tripathi), winning Best Debut Director (Kaushik). It is the first instalment in Maddock Horror Comedy Universe followed by Bhediya (2022), Munjya (2024) and Thamma (2025). A sequel titled Stree 2 was released on Independence Day 2024, which was also a major commercial success at the box office.