'What was that?': Aparshakti Khurana got angry phone call from Amar Kaushik for 'PR game' remark on Stree 2 credit war

Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank is unstoppable at the box office. As per the entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk, the horror comedy has earned Rs 500 crore net in India and grossed Rs 725 crore worldwide. But, its blockbuster success has been marred by the credit war between fans of the lead actors Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao, and their PR teams on social media.

When Aparshakti Khurana was asked how does he feel about social media posts claiming that Stree 2 is working just because of Shraddha Kapoor, he had called it a PR game. He told Zoom, "See this is a PR game. If you go and ask the audience, the original audience on street, what are they saying? I want to know that. So, this is a PR game, I don’t want to comment on it."

Now, the film's director Amar Kaushik has revealed that he confronted Aparshakti for his controversial 'PR game' remark. Talking to the same portal, Amar said, "I called Aparshakti after his statement. I asked him, 'What was that?' He said, 'Paaji, I didn’t mean anything by it. You know me how I talk.' He then said, 'I always laugh when I say such things, this time, I just forgot to laugh and it became serious.' Then, I was like, 'But, what did you mean? What were you trying to say?' He said, 'I was just talking and the way she was asking questions, I just didn’t laugh.' Aparshakti is very good at heart. When he is bothered about something, he will simply blurt it out. He won't bottle it up. He was like, 'I am just caught between the fan war.'"

Reacting to the whole controversy himself, the filmmaker said, "We video-called each other when the controversy around the credits sparked online. We simply laughed about it. We are extremely close. Even when something goes wrong, we say it to each other to their face. There is no formality between us. It is completely fan-created controversy. When a film does well, the fans think it is because of their favourite star. This is good for our film’s business. Because of the controversy, more people are watching this film." He jokingly concluded, "Please continue the credit war until the film reaches Rs 1000 crore at the box office."

The Amar Kaushik directorial is the fourth installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe after Stree, Bhediya, and Munjya. Stree 2 also features Pankaj Tripathi in the lead role, and has cameo appearances from Tamannaah Bhatia, Varun Dhawan, and Akshay Kumar.

READ | This film was made in just Rs 16 crore, earned Rs 400 crore, won two National Awards, was accused of plagiarism by...

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