Stree 2, featuring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, has achieved extraordinary success at the box office. Exceeding all expectations, the film entered the ₹ 300-crore club within 9 days. But did you know Rajkummar's character in the franchise was initially offered to Vicky Kaushal? The actor declined the role because he was busy doing Anurag Kashyap's Manmarziyaan at that time. During his appearance on Vogue BFFs, Vicky was asked to pick a film he turned down but now regrets not doing it as it went on to become fairly successful. "Stree, that was because I was doing Manmarziyaan," said Vicky. While the actor received a lot of praise for his role in Manmarziyaan, the film didn't do well at the box office. Meanwhile, Rajkummar got his breakthrough with Stree.
Stree 2 is well on its way to breach the Rs 400 crore-mark. Reacting to the record-breaking success of his film, Rajkummar Rao told News18, “We were sure that the film would get lot of love because of the love that Stree 1 got. There's a big fan-following for Stree, including me. I am a huge fan of Stree myself. But these numbers are way above our expectations. We are glad and super elated. There's a lot of gratitude that this is happening with a film like Stree, because it is content-driven film.”
He added, “I try and choose different characters. People should not say that Raj only does certain kind of cinema. I want to do everything — comedy, drama, biopics, horror-comedy, action – why not! I don't want to put myself in a slot. So, that's a very conscious decision that I challenge myself as an actor with different characters. Also, that's what keeps me going.”
On the work front, Vicky Kaushal will next be seen as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the upcoming film, Chhaava. Directed by Laxman Utekar, the film also features Rashmika Mandanna in a key role. The movie is scheduled to release on December 6.