Director Aditya Sarpotdar for most part reverses the knight in shining armor trope with Rashmika’s character of Taraka/Tarika. The role has the perfect mix of vulnerability and fierceness in equal measure. Thamma is a welcome change from the usual Maddock horror comedy even though the concoction of scares and laughs doesn’t hit the high notes of the Stree movies. Ayushmann Khurrana also brings his usual finesse especially in the second half when his character is caught between two worlds

Starcast: Rashmika Mandanna, Ayushmann Khurrana, Paresh Rawal, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Faisal Malik and others

Director: Aditya Sarpotdar

Writers: Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew and Arun Fulara

Producers: Dinesh Vijan and Aamir Kaushik

Production Company: Maddock Films

Cinematography: Saurabh Goswami

Music: Sachin Jigar

Running time: 2 hours and 29 minutes

Genre: Romance/horror

The horror comedy universe for Maddock has been its most successful business venture. The two Stree films along with Munjya have done fantastic numbers at the box office. Even Bhediya did fair business at the box office. This universe is expanding further with newer actors and fresh storylines. Thamma is the latest addition with crossovers from the movies mentioned above. Thamma varies from the previous films of this space as the beating heart is the love story between two people belonging to vastly different worlds. At the same time there is also a set formula in its treatment of horror with laugh out moments. This two way approach doesn’t always work nevertheless Thamma makes for an interesting watch.

Thamma is essentially the journey of two lovers having to battle many odds. Ayushmann Khurrana is a small-time reporter Alok Goyal. While roaming in the forest Alok is confronted with an animal. A scared Alok runs away and his path crosses with Rashmika Mandanna’s Taraka/Tarika. Taraka is a mysterious woman belonging to a mythical world. A situation comes when Alok is offered as a sacrifice to Nawazuddin Siddqui’s Yakshashan. Yakshashan was once upon a time a leader of the demi humans. Now he is a chained prisoner. Taraka breaks the rules of the tribe by following her heart. She saves Alok and runs away with him. This sets the clash between two opposing worlds.

A strong aspect of Thamma is the love story between Alok and Taraka. It does take a little to warm up but soon the romance gathers momentum. The sweet nature of Alok and how he falls in love with Taraka has been both well written and enacted. The revelation of who Taraka actually is and the origin story comes in at the right juncture. There is a reference to the horrific partition when Taraka talks about a group called betaals. This tribe follows a strict rule which is never kill humans and drink their blood. The reason is they consider the human blood to be poisonous. This happens after they come across a charade of dead bodies with people slaughtering each other in the mayhem of partition.

The biggest strength of Thamma though is the character design of Rashmika Mandanna’s Taraka coupled with her performance. Unlike the Stree movies Rashmika Mandanna here is much more than just a mysterious woman. For a large part of the film Rashmika is the protector of Alok fighting tooth and nail for her love. The character is both ferocious and also tender as the situation demands and Rashmika nails both these shades. The actress also gets to do some action like the sequence with a group of boys chasing Alok and her after a party. In spite of a slightly drunken state Taraka gives a sound beating to the guys.

Ayushmann too comes into his own when Alok turns into a Betaal himself. The actor does a wonderful job in conveying both the initial shock and also accepting the new identity. Paresh Rawal as the scared father raises some chuckles. At the same time the veteran actor also shines in the few emotional sequences. A special mention must be made of the sequence where he encourages Alok to not give up saying that he has accepted Taraka as his daughter in law. However, the reference to late Amrish Puri’s dialogue in DDLJ and an Ayushmann bava feels forced. Nawazuddin Siddqui’s character as the comic villain needed more depth in writing nevertheless Nawazuddin chews the scenery coming up with a wonderfully eccentric act. Faisal Malik as a betaal turned cop is also good.

The crossover characters have also been smartly integrated. Whether its Abhishek Benarjee from the Stree and the Bhediya movies or Satyraaj in Munjya. These roles aren’t confined to filers. They play an important role in connecting the dots. Varun Dhawan as Bhediya gets a roaring entry too. His fight sequence with Ayushmann has been wonderfully choreographed. Saurabh Goswami’s cinematography is of a very good order whether it’s the haunting wilderness or the more tender moments.

Sachin Jigar’s music falls significantly short of Stree 2. The special dance numbers stick out like a sore thumb. But the duo do redeem themselves with Tum Mere Na Hue and Rahien Na Rahien hum.

Final word: Thamma is an interesting addition to the growing Maddock horror universe. Inspite of some bumps the movie makes for an engaging watch.