Many people told me 'Stree 2' success feels like personal victory: Rajkummar Rao

Mumbai | Actor Rajkummar Rao on Thursday said he was inundated with calls and messages after the success of his latest release "Stree 2" and many people reached out to him saying it felt like a "personal victory".

The horror comedy, a sequel to 2018's "Stree", is directed by Amar Kaushik and written by Niren Bhatt.

Released in theatres on August 15, the "Stree 2", backed by Maddock Films, has earned over Rs 600 crore in India.

"We are happy that 'Stree 2' got such a good response and achieved so much success. The numbers (box office collection) means that these many people have watched your film. The love that I've received from people, personally on messages, calls, and social media.

"Many people told me 'This feels like a personal victory'. This made me emotionally vulnerable. A lot of them also said, 'We are connected with your journey. Your win is like our win, you give us hope'. All this was overwhelming for me," Rao told reporters here at the trailer launch of his upcoming film "Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video".

"Stree 2" also stars Shraddha Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Banerjee, and Pankaj Tripathi, among others.

The actor, who has started shooting for his next film "Maalik", said he will continue to work with utmost honesty on every film.

"Maalik", which was announced on Rao's birthday on August 31, is an upcoming action thriller to be directed by filmmaker Pulkit.

"Three days after the release of the film ('Stree 2'), I had started shooting for 'Maalik'. I love what I do and that will never change irrespective of whether the film earns Rs 100, Rs 500 or Rs 5,000.

"It all depends on destiny. If it's a good film, it will receive love from the audience. I do my work honestly as an actor, which I've been doing from my first film till now," he added.

"Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video" also stars Triptii Dimri.