Chhorii 2 stars Soha Ali Khan and Nushrratt Bharuccha on smashing patriarchy and stereotypes in new horror film

Gulf News

18-04-2025

Dubai: 'I play the baddie… and people don't know just how bad I am,' says Soha Ali Khan, cracking a smile that belies the darkness of her role in Chhorii 2.
In a chilling twist on Bollywood's usual formula—where men dominate both hero and villain arcs—this new Prime Video horror-thriller pits two women against each other in a terrifying power struggle.
Check out Soha Ali Khan and Nushrratt Bharrucha's video:
Soha plays a ruthless cult leader who is onto Nushrratt Bharuccha's on-screen seven-year-old daughter, forcing the young mother to face unimaginable horrors. But beneath the supernatural dread lies a deeper evil: generational patriarchy.
'I'm not fighting a man… I'm fighting another woman who's fallen prey to this conditioning,' says Nushrratt, making it clear that Chhorii 2 is more than just jump scares. It's a gut punch of a film—where women are both victims and villains, and horror becomes a tool to expose hard truths.
Chhorii 2 doesn't feel exploitative even though it deals with a grim topic. Nushrratt, you were in the first part. Soha, you've joined the second. What drew you both to this film?
Nushrratt Bharuccha: When Chhorii 1 came out, I remember we spoke about the possibility of a sequel too. For me, Chhorii 2 works because it's so organic—it's not a cash-grab sequel. The idea for the second part actually came from a casual flight conversation with our director Vishal Furia. He said, 'What if we dealt with this in Part 2?' and immediately, I said yes. It builds on the original—same world, same values, but it goes deeper, addressing another evil practice without uprooting the essence of Part 1. That continuity is what makes it special.
Soha Ali Khan: I play the baddie in this film. People always think I'm sweet, but now they'll see my dark side—Kunal [Khemu, actor], my husband, keeps saying this is the real me! (laughs) But honestly, it was exciting to explore that space. The prosthetics, the lighting, the makeup—it all supports you in a horror film. I felt very well backed by the technical team.
Horror villains often end up being campy or caricature-like. Were you conscious about avoiding that?
Soha: Very, that was my biggest concern. I wanted to be sure it wouldn't look cringe or over-the-top. Thankfully, the way the film was visualised and executed gave me confidence. I feel proud of what we've done. It's not your typical horror; it's rooted in folklore, but the treatment feels modern and elevated—almost international. And it's based on real, unspeakable practices that people assume don't happen anymore, but they do. And sometimes very close to home.
It's true.. I see it in my own family—my mother-in-law loves my twin boys, but says it in such a way that my daughter fades into background. It's so normalised.
Nushrratt: That's exactly it. Generational conditioning. Your mother-in-law probably doesn't mean harm, but we're now the ones pausing and going—wait, that doesn't sound right. We're speaking up. That shift is powerful. It's not about overnight change, but about calling things out, even in our own families.
Horror as a genre seems to be a brilliant vehicle for smashing patriarchy. It lets you make bold statements without being preachy.
Absolutely. As Vishal says, it's more digestible when you present it through horror. It lets audiences think these things happen 'over there' in some fictional world. But they don't. These are your neighbours, your family. From casual misogyny to son preference—these things are all around us. Horror stays with you long after. It haunts you. And when layered with a social evil, it gets under your skin. What's also interesting is that in Chhorii 2, both the victim and the antagonist are women. That duality says a lot about how women carry both the burden and the blame in society. That's something I thought about only after doing this film.
Has working on Chhorii 2 changed the way you look at motherhood or womanhood?
Soha: I feel very grateful that my daughter's life—and mine—have been untouched by such practices. But that's thanks to the battles fought by my foremothers. My great-grandmother was married at nine. My grandmother had to fight to study. My mom had to defend working and marrying someone from a different religion. My job is to remind my daughter how privileged she is—and also that with privilege comes the responsibility to stand up for other women. We have to lift others up to the same level so all our voices can be heard.
Nushrratt: I'm not a mother yet, but I do feel a sense of protectiveness over my nieces and younger cousins. What frightens me is how deeply these issues run—not just in remote villages but in our cities and gated communities. It scares me to raise a child in a world like this. In the film, the little girl is just five, but you know she'll face more as she grows. The crimes don't stop. That frightens me deeply. But at least we're talking about it now. And that's powerful.
What's it like acting in a horror film—convincingly looking scared or evil when the monsters are intangible?
Soha: (laughs) Nushrratt had a blast. Her favourite scene involved getting whipped 135 times! I was like, 'Why did I consent to this?!' (laughs) It was physically draining but strangely fun. But honestly, it's so exciting that we, two women, are spearheading a horror film and not playing second fiddle to a male hero.
Yes! It's like a reflected pride. You're both carrying the film—and tackling patriarchy while you're at it.
Nushrratt: Exactly! What I love is that I'm not fighting a man in this film—I'm confronting another woman who's trapped in her own conditioning. And that's what makes it powerful. We're showing that women, too, can be enablers of patriarchal practices. And it's time we called that out.
Soha: I completely agree. Women absorb and pass on these values. They often become the gatekeepers of patriarchy. But if we can break that cycle, we can change a lot. And it starts with awareness—and then calling it out, even if it's uncomfortable.