Actor Rajkummar Rao recently expressed his gratitude and disbelief at the overwhelming success of his latest film, Stree 2. The horror-comedy sequel, released on Independence Day 2024, has crossed the INR 500 crore mark worldwide in just 10 days.

In a recent interview, Rajkumar opened up about the film’s box office performance, admitting that he didn’t expect such a massive response for a ‘content-driven film.’ He expressed his appreciation for the love and support that Stree 2 has received, crediting the film's success to the strong fan following of the original Stree.

“We were sure that the film would get a 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 a content-driven film,” he said.

The actor also reflected on his journey in the film industry, emphasising the struggles and hardships he faced before achieving success. “There’s a lot of gratitude. God has been really kind. I have got a lot of love from the audience and they have accepted me for who I am. I have come from nowhere. I come from a very humble beginning. I didn’t grow up with money around me. I am one of their [audience’s] own. A lot of messages I get say that it feels like a personal victory, which is overwhelming,” he added.

Rajkumar also shared his experiences in Delhi, where he often had to cycle 70km up and down due to lack of funds for public transportation during his theatre days. The actor said that after moving to Mumbai, he continued to face challenges in the competitive and expensive city. He admitted to struggling to survive, not knowing anyone or where to start.

Stree 2, directed by Amar Kaushik, features the original star cast of Rajkummar, Shraddha Kapoor, Abhishek Banerjee, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurana. The film has been a box office sensation, grossing a total of INR 505 crore worldwide in 10 days. In India, the film has amassed INR 426 crore, while overseas collections have reached INR 78.5 crore.