Thamma feels like it’s trying too hard in its desperation to impress!

Thamma might be a start to India’s own vampire story and a decent addition to the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe aka MHCU. Yet, it somehow forgets to stand on its own!

When Stree released in 2018, a film about a small town haunted by a female ghost quietly arrived and changed the game forever. There was a mix of excitement and risk attached to it. The boys brought enough fun to make the comedy feel refreshing, while the ghost carried just the right amount of mystery to keep us intrigued. And so, a genre that combined horror with comedy was born and we all fell in love with it. While Stree didn’t set out to start an entire horror-comedy universe, that’s exactly what happened. Apparently, a female ghost did more than just scare the shit out of people, she became a lesson in herself. The film had something to say, something that had the potential to expand into a whole world that merged our mythological roots with a new-age style of storytelling only to teach us lessons we didn’t even know we needed.

Whether it was Bhediya teaching us about environmental destruction,Stree 2 exploring the everyday fear that women live with in a patriarchal world, or Munjya reminding us that love whether one-sided or not isn’t about obsession or ownership, each film had its own message. This idea of building a film on an age-old tale and giving it a newer edge became synonymous with the MHCU brand. Yes, they told stories about ghosts and werewolves, things most of us had only seen in Hollywood films, but Maddock films found a way to root them in storytelling that felt like it came straight out of our dadi-nani ki kahaniyaan. So it was inevitable to now have a story of vampires in the mix. Yet, this universe, which had been going strong since its start, now shows deeper cracks with its latest addition,Thamma. And here’s why I feel that way.

Also Read: Reflecting on Dinesh Vijan's horror-comedy universe that satiated our appetite for a good fantasy!

The strong base of horror-comedy has become more of a template to follow than to build into

If you’ve seen Stree 2, you might’ve noticed how the film sometimes felt like it was trying too hard, especially with its comedy. That could be because Stree’s premise of a female ghost scaring men itself made gender reversal inherently funny, letting the horror-comedy balance flow effortlessly. But Stree 2 tackled a fear that’s far too real. Women being afraid of abduction or losing their freedom isn’t funny; it’s painfully true. So the humour there felt more constructed than organic. Still,Stree 2 managed to hold its own and build further despite following a similar template. Thamma, however, looks like it’s blindly following that same formula that once worked. There’s neither the intrigue of horror that pulls you in nor the kind of comedy that makes you laugh till your stomach hurts. Hence, while familiarity is comforting and fiction that nods at reality is something we enjoy in this hyper-meta world, when that cheekiness turns into a routine formula it starts to feel less effortless and more lazy as if this film was too dependent on the success and charm of previous films to drag it along! 

It works better as a film that pushes the universe forward

The only time Thamma truly feels exciting is in the second half when the cameos start pouring in, from Bhediya, Janna, Munjya’s padre, or even Sarkata. When these characters start appearing as effective parts of the story, the otherwise flat and dead vampire love story suddenly finds a heartbeat. After all, a werewolf and a vampire fighting? That’s stuff for the ages! So when Varun Dhawan's Bhediya and Ayushmann Khurrana's vampire face off against each other in a wildly well choreographed action sequence, it’s something worth watching. Even Sarkata’s brief appearance to aid the villain leaves you excited for the two upcoming mahayudhs, where the universe seems to be heading toward an epic clash between its scarred yet surviving heroes and villains.

Despite the details and special effects, the story isn’t convincing enough

One thing that has always made MHCU films so refreshing is how they blend our mythologies with concepts we’ve mostly seen in foreign films. The supernatural has never really been our cinematic strength until Stree. That film turned a running folklore from Karnataka into something fascinating. Similarly, Bhediyatapped into North Eastern myths, while Munjya built upon Konkan folklore. Each time, a new mythological story was uncovered; Stree 2 also showed Sarkataas a villain drawn from Indian mythology. So the idea of making vampires our own by connecting them to the story of Vikram and Betaal and mixing in the tale of the goddess who fought Raktbeej (where every drop of his blood gave rise to another demon) is actually brilliant. It’s the perfect setup for a blood-sucking creature to sink its teeth into! As Rashmika Mandanna’s Tadaka (a rakshasi killed by Lord Rama) belongs to a clan of Betaals- heartless, bloodthirsty creatures living deep in the jungle, away from humans and their blood. Her accidental meeting with Ayushmann Khurrana'sAlok, a human, sets off a chain reaction that could bring a new world order, one where the Betaals, who earlier fed only on the blood of humans who were truly evil, become protectors of the earth once again.

It’s a well-meaning idea, that relies too much on the spectacle build by VFX but isn't developed enough. We’ve all watched enough vampire stories to know the basics: they hate sunlight, have fangs, red eyes, and the speed of a cheetah, and their arch-enemies are werewolves. But our existing knowledge can’t be taken for granted and build as stereotypes, especially when these creatures are established not as vampires but Betaals. Even the love story between Tadaka and Alok is devoid of chemistry! Hence despite trying their best, Rashmika Mandanna and Ayushmann Khurrana’s chemistry falls short. It doesn’t make us believe they’d sacrifice everything for each other and that’s where Thamma loses most of its bite as the first love story of this universe.

Also Read: The fascination with mythology in Indian Cinema ft mythwala

Not trusting its audience to find the message, but spoon-feeding everything

The fact that Maddock seems to have forgotten that its audience is smart enough to get the message on their own honestly hurts me as a fan of the MHCU films. What started with Stree, where the story of a lustful female ghost ends with her statue being erected in her honour, felt like a film that respected our intelligence as it was so rich in building its details and trusted us to join the pieces. That subtlety feels lost now. Thamma not only explains its well-intentioned messaging but over-explains it, instead of establishing ideas and letting us interpret them, it tells us what to think. For instance, when a boy who has changed after being bitten by a female creature is constantly reminded by his father that he’s now “cursed by a witch,” the moment of acceptance between them gets lost in repetition, making the message about 'accepting men as they are' fall flat. Similarly, when the film goes out of its way to clarify that the new saviour of the Betaals, the dead heartless creatures will be someone with a “beating heart,” it robs the final showdown between Nawazuddin Siddiqui’sYakshashan (the oldest Betal) and Alok, of any emotional depth.

What’s more disappointing is that the strongest suit of the MHCU films has always been their portrayal of female power, their ability to find strength within stereotypes. Even when, in Stree 2, the men come to help the women, the real impact lies in the women’s own uprising for freedom. That sense of power and agency feels missing in Thamma. Despite Tadaka being shown as a powerful Betaal who repeatedly comes to Alok’s rescue, she’s still treated as this naïve creature who conveniently acts dumb just to make the hero look more heroic. And then there are the item songs (three of them) which have always existed in this universe but made a statement earlier. Here, they feel more about the male gaze than purpose.

It’s disappointing to see that a film like this from a universe that once tried to challenge its audience’s biases while highlighting them has now started catering to them instead. Thamma feels more like a cautionary tale for Maddock, in my opinion. Because if audiences can fall in love with something so quickly, we can also lose interest just as easily. And that’s how a universe that once felt magical might end up losing its charm.