It has now been made official that the horror-comedy universe is expanding multiple folds and is in no mood to stop anytime soon.
After the gargantuan success of Stree 2, which went on to become the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films are expanding the HCU with new projects, new ideas and new faces.
A while ago, it was made official that Thama is the next chapter in the universe and this film will be headlined by Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Paresh Rawal and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
This, indeed is a very interesting cast to rope in especially as you include Paresh Rawal and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Knowing how character-driven the HCU films have been so far, Rawal and Siddiqui wouldn’t just be a set of supporting actors, instead have interesting and perhaps recurring roles to play in the film.
The most interesting part about this is how the introduction of Akshay Kumar into the HCU as the end-credit scene of Stree 2 suggested expands the idea of Thama in itself. Unlike the previous films, Thama, as suggested will be a love story at its core, only a ‘bloody’ one. Hence, based on the roles that Siddiqui and Rawal will play, a lot will probably tie itself to the other films of the universe.
The prospect of having Akshay Kumar, Varun Dhawan, Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Sharvari, Abhay Verma, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Paresh Rawal and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in one frame for a mega showdown ad the universe culminates on a future date is an idea to salivate on right away.
Another great choice is to have Munjya director Aditya Sarpotdar direct Thama – when you have two filmmakers who understand and immerse themselves in the universe better than others, why is there ever a need to go out!
Thama is set for a mega Diwali 2025 release already seeming to be a great choice of date as well and having an advance date booking increases the chances for the film to have an open release.
