Thamma

Sinking its teeth — pun fully intended — into the horror-comedy universe is Thamma. Spawned by Stree in 2018, whose super success so far has led to the creation of one sequel (Stree 2) and two connected verticals (Bhediya, Munjya), Thamma is the latest in this multiverse which has now acquired the name MHCU (Maddock Horror Comedy Universe), which, of course — tongue firmly in cheek — is not to be confused with the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Thamma opens in 323 BC. A cocky Alexander the Great boasts to his troops during his invasion of India. But the fabled Greek warrior does not die in Babylon — he is slaughtered in a tropical jungle by a fanged ‘betaal’ leader named Yakshasan. This bloodthirsty Hindu demon is revising history without even realising it. “You will take over Bharat?” he snarls. Yakshasan spends the next several centuries feasting on anglo blood. He picks up some broken English on the way. India’s independence movement in the 1940s is a buffet for him: pale-skinned and stiff-lipped colonisers everywhere. But Yakshasan is soon debarred and locked up by his own clan when they realise that his freedom-fighting was a front for uncontrollable primal instincts all along. He wasn’t a spiritual protector or paranormal vigilante, just a hateful being out to erase one community. A hammy Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing Yakshasan stokes the narrative fire. The metaphor writes itself, but Thamma refuses to pay any heed to its most interesting character: a power-hungry madman who is exposed for milking nationalistic fervour.

Maddock Films’ newest offering, its horror franchise, Thamma, featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna, opens up a new world. After ghosts and werewolves, Thamma introduces the world of Vampires or ‘Betaals’ to the audience. Ayushmann returns to the big screen after a long hiatus, taking up a character which is similar to his previous films, yet strikingly different as it belongs to the fantasy fiction genre. Directed by Munjya director Aditya Sarpotdar, Thamma explores a new genre in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe- MHCU- a name coined by the banner- where Vampires thrive on blood but also maintain an equilibrium between their world and our world.

With director Aditya Sarpotdar (of Munjya fame) at the helm and proven names Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik in the credits as producers, a rib-tickling horror thriller is the big expectation. This time, they also mix in romance and smooches. Between Taadka (Rashmika Mandanna), a fang-bearing betaal (vampire) who rescues smooth-talking, adventure-seeking, reel-making journo Alok Goyal (Ayushmann Khurrana) from a bear in the jungle. Dil ki dhadkan as a synonym for love is tossed out as pyaar conquers all even when the heart has stopped ticking.