Beyond Stree 2: Exploring the potential of Indian Cinematic Universes

It's a nostalgic journey, a reunion with an old friend, and a validation of the hours spent immersed in movie marathons or comic books. The familiar quirks, iconic lines, and signature actions of our beloved characters evoke a sense of comfort and excitement. Cinematic universes—a phenomenon that has already taken Hollywood by storm—is the latest trend built on this sense of loyalty among fans. And it is gaining momentum across the world, including India.

In a cinematic universe, multiple storylines and narratives share the same world and the films connect through recurring characters and common themes. This approach has opened new doors for storytelling in Indian cinema, allowing for richer narratives and deeper character exploration. Indian cinema has a long history of diverse storytelling, and is now embracing this new trend that resonate with audiences across generations.
But are Indian filmmakers fully harnessing the potential of cinematic universes? Let’s find out.

What’s a cinematic universe?

A cinematic universe allows for expansive storytelling, where characters can evolve across multiple films, and plotlines can interweave to create a grand narrative arc. There’s no better example that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where each major hero got their own or co-starred movies, before all the Avengers reuniting in Avengers: Endgame (2019).
The build-up to this 2019 blockbuster was hugely successful, with the earliest storyline of Iron Man dating back to 2008. It was followed by the 23 movies including the Thor trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America films, Black Panther, Spider-man, Doctor Strange etc. The anticipation built over years of interconnected films repeatedly drew audiences back to theatres, creating a loyal fan base and a secure investment for filmmakers.

The MCU, despite the recent setbacks, continues to be one of the most successful film series. Avengers has the best average world-wide gross out of all MCU film series, with an average of nearly $1.9 billion per film.
Hence, the appeal of cinematic universes lies in their ability to build complex worlds that draw audiences back time and again, creating a sense of anticipation for how stories will unfold and interconnect. It brings a sense of security to the investments of the makers, which is built from scratch for stand-alone films.

Cinematic Universes of India

The earliest Indian film that is now a part of a cinematic universe was Rohit Shetty’s Singham (2011). This Ajay Devgn film was a remake of a 2010 Tamil film of the same name, with Suriya reprising the eponymous character. A more coherent (albeit unplanned) cinematic universe starter was the 2012 film, Ek Tha Tiger. Neither of these two films was planned to be developed into a universe per se but were incorporated into their respective universes with Simmba (2019) and Pathaan (2023).

The latest entrants on the block are Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) and Maddock’s Supernatural Universe. The Lokesh Cinematic Universe started with Kaithi (2019) and established itself with Vikram (2022). Lokesh Kanagaraj, the creator of this universe and the director of these highly successful ventures, plans to release a short film 'Pillayar Suzhi' as an introduction to the cinematic universe for the audience.

Maddock’s supernatural universe, alongside LCU, provides a clearer picture of their plans ahead. All of the films in this shared universe are inspired by popular folk-legends. While Stree took inspiration from Naale Baa of Karnataka, where people would write the phrase on walls to prevent the entry of a malevolent spirit into their homes. Bhediya was inspired by Arunachal Pradesh's legend of a shape-shifting werewolf (Yapum), who wants to protect the jungle, even if he or she has to kill somebody. Munjya, which surprised the trade pundits and audiences alike, focuses on the Konkani legend of munjya. In mythology and folklore, there are multiple stories about the origin of munjya, but the film uses the one where a small kid dies within 10 days of his upanayana samskara, and turns into a munjya.
The fourth instalment in this series, Stree 2 is set to release this week, starring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkumar Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee. Varun Dhawan will also make a cameo appearance reprising his role of Bhaskar from Bhediya.

Can Indian Cinema sustain this trend?

Unlike the MCU which is based on existing comic books, the majority of these Indian projects and characters have no reference point and hence, concepts have to be established from scratch. Moreover, it is possible that the audiences may not readily embrace new and unfamiliar characters.

Another significant hurdle is the high cost associated with these ventures. A good chunk of their budgets goes into VFX and the subsequent creation of intellectual properties or IPs. When news around Brahmastra’s humongous budget of 410 crores was doing the rounds, Ranbir Kapoor was quick to clarify that it was allocated for the entire trilogy, and not just for Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva.

Cinematic Universes in India face an additional barrier of independent distributors, where the trajectory of a franchise is lopsidedly dependent on the success of the studio’s latest offerings. For instance, there were reports of Tiger Vs Pathaan being shelved, following the lukewarm reception of Tiger 3.

Can Indian cinema witness a commercially successful cinematic universe?

Cinematic universes can flourish in India as they have in Hollywood, only if they are treated as long-term investments to be made over multiple movies and decades. It is regrettable that a nation with such a rich literary and cultural history barely has any good films rooted in its culture. There is immense potential for stories rooted in regional Indian folklore and literature, and it continues to remain underutilised.

However, it is important to note that Maddock’s Supernatural Universe is a promising start towards bringing to the audience stories that are grounded in our country’s culture. However, the movies in this universe have been a roller coaster journey for the audience in terms of quality. As Stree 2 prepares for release, there is hope that it will continue to build on this success and pave the way for more culturally grounded cinematic universes in India.

While the concept of cinematic universes is still relatively new in Indian cinema, it holds great promise. If nurtured with patience and passion, these universes could become great assets for the industry, offering audiences compelling narratives, and the studios substantial returns.