EXCLUSIVE: Abhishek Banerjee THRILLED to see crazy theatre reaction videos of Stree 2: “Saw this happening with Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Jawan; when it happens with your own film, it feels very special”; reveals he saw Akshay Kumar’s Garam Masala 10 times

Stree 2 is a hilarious film and an actor who contributes to the humour in a big way is Abhishek Banerjee. The actor has constantly been seen in all films of the Horror Comedy Cinematic Universe. He spoke about it exclusively with Bollywood Hungama along with how the makers have taken great pains to maintain consistency and a lot more.

Congrats on the success of Stree 2. We laughed so much after ages… Yes, everyone is saying that. It’s like a festive season in cinemas!

You also feel bad for your character Jana as his friends get him into trouble all the time… (Laughs) Dost aise hi hote hai. I just loved the script because it shows true friendship. In friendship, you don’t give tapli to your friend and do such kind of small mischief. In reality, dost jo hote hai, woh harami hote hai!

I hope in Stree 3, you exact revenge and put them in dangerous situations before running away… That’s a good idea!

The reaction in cinema halls for Stree 2 is phenomenal… I had only heard that there was a time when people would celebrate, whistle and hoot in cinemas, especially in Bachchan saab’s films. I used to feel bad that ‘Why are we in this era and why don’t we get to see it’. Last year, I did witness it happening in Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Jawan. I especially went to see these films just to experience it and understand ‘Yeh hota kya hai’. And when that happens for your own film, you have no idea how special that feels.

I have already met people who have seen the film multiple times. I met a guy selling tissues on the streets. He told me, ‘Sir, aapki film maine chaar baar dekhi’! I was shocked, ‘Abhi toh release hui hai. Chaar baar kaise dekh li tune yaar’! He told me, ‘I am watching it daily’! This is unreal as well as surreal!

You mentioned Pathaan and Jawan. Both collected Rs. 500 crores and Stree is also on its way to enter the coveted club and maybe, even beat those films. Are you tracking the box office figures? I am only tracking the audience's reaction. I am not kidding. My friend went to see the film in Maratha Mandir, a huge cinema hall. I saw the reactions out there – people were cheering and whistling. This means a lot to me and hence, I don’t care anymore about the numbers. That’s also because I am not getting any money from it (laughs)! On a serious note, it’s great for Dinesh Vijan, Maddock Films as well as the entire industry. It motivates them to back films like this which is grounded on a good script and direction. It’s a win for the industry and marks the beginning of a new wave. Wherever we land, it doesn’t matter. We are already standing tall and together with many biggies and big hits of the past.

When Sarkata bites you in Stree 2, you loudly scream ‘Arre kaat diya re daiya’! The way you say it brought the house down. Please tell us about the process of making sure you get your act right… I’ll share a small trivia. In Bhediya (2022), when the beast bites Varun Dhawan for the first time, Jana says ‘Arre kaat liya re daiya’. That was for Varun as I felt for him when he got bitten. This time, when I read the script, I was like ‘Arre iss baar toh yeh mere saath ho raha hai’! For me, comedy is nothing but actually being in that moment. Also, there’s a consistency in my character as I am saying the same line. After all, we all have a certain vocabulary, right? So, Jana is doing exactly what he’s doing in Stree (2018), Bhediya and Stree 2.

There’s another dialogue in part 2, ‘Galti iski nahin, galti iske baap ki hai’. There’s a connection to it in the first part as well. Viewers may have forgotten but Jana, of course, would remember and would talk about it. It is the frustration that I am taking out from the first part. The best part of the universe is that I am getting to live the life of a character and I am getting to keep that character with me throughout.

Both scenes same situation same dialogue Bhediya X stree ???? @nowitsabhi pic.twitter.com/5j5nXZmAwX — sahil. (@shutupsahill) August 21, 2024

Your scene with Akshay Kumar is legendary. Was it tough to control your laughter in that scene? In front of him, I was on my toes. This is because I knew that I was shooting with Akshay Kumar who is the king of comedy. I am his huge fan and he has given such good cinema to us like Hera Pheri, Welcome, Awara Paagal Deewana, etc. In the latter, I can never forget the way he says ‘Chal, coffee peete hai’ to Paresh Rawal. I have seen Garam Masala at least 10 times.

So, when I was told that I was going to do a scene with Akshay Kumar, I knew that it was going to be a blast. I enjoy comedy and I knew that he also enjoys comedy. What you saw on screen was a jam session between two actors. It’s like how two musicians jam. Guitar aur tabla leke bajate hai na musicians, waise hi hum dono jam kar rahe the. We were having fun and because of that, even the audience was having fun.

It came to light that you once told Varun Dhawan, on the sets of Bhediya, that you have a crush on Kiara Advani. He instantly called her and gave you the phone. We’d like to know what Kiara had to say... She’s too sweet. She even messaged me after Stree 2 was released. It made me very happy. Varun asked me if I have a crush on somebody. I told her that I like Kiara Advani, like millions of others do. I said it very innocently. I did not know that he’ll call her and hand the phone to me. I was very awkward (laughs). But she was too sweet. Varun is that badmaash friend. He can put me into trouble!

What can we expect from the next parts of this universe? You can only expect madness, bro! I have no idea about the script but I know it’s going to be maddening. This universe is unstoppable. I can guarantee you that Amar Kaushik and Niren Bhatt are going to work harder. Initially, they were experimenting, not sure how it would be received. But when you get confidence, you get free. Toh maza aayega. I am also excited.

Also Read: Abhishek Banerjee celebrates Stree 2 and Vedaa: “This double release was a unique challenge”

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