A reporter, Alok (Ayushmann Khurrana), who makes reels gets involved with a tribe of betaals. So who are they? They are dead people blessed with immortality, who have morals, codes and ethics of their own, consume only animals as food and develop ferocious canines when they tell untruths!
They live deep in a jungle, and a standout beautiful specimen among them, Tadaka (Rashmika Mandanna) resides in an abandoned plane. And she rescues Alok from a bear: Alok’s colleagues desert him when the bear chases him, and report back home to his shocked parents (Paresh Rawal and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma) that he is dead.
In actual fact, Tadaka looks after Alok and finds his beating heart attractive. She cannot fathom a lot of what he says, but for once, Alok is happy staying with her. Why? Because he has lost his (beating) heart to her!
A development causes the chieftains of the betaals to sentence Alok to a long imprisonment, sharing a dungeon with Yakshasan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a rogue betaal, who in 323 BC, had drunk the blood of—hold your breath! —Alexander the Great when he invaded India, and has done the same with a lot of Britishers. However, Tadaka saves him again, and Alok persuades her to accompany him home, which they reach at the time of his memorial service!
Slowly but humorously (for the viewer), Alok and his ever-suspicious father come to know the truth about Tadaka (incidentally the name of a demoness). And meanwhile the betaals want her back. Yakshasan has his own nefarious agenda. Alok and Tadaka are now hopelessly in love. In pure strength, Tadaka has a huge edge on the normal Alok, until something happens.
A potent dose of potpourri entertainment, Thamma includes a tang of Indian history (from Alexander to 1947), some delicious humor, some warm emotions and spectacular visuals along with some consummate performances, especially by Rashmika Mandanna. Add a bouquet of surprises and freshness for a horror comedy, especially in some hilarious sequences and lines, such as the first dinner conversation between Alok’s family and Tadaka and even the sequence where Alok escapes from hospital. The part-English first conversation between Yakshasan and Alok is hilarious.
Rashmika is spot-on when she is animated, when blank and nonplussed, when fierce and when passionate (as in determined). Ayushmann Khurrana also brings in a controlled and variegated performance. Paresh Rawal as his father is in his element, and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma is endearing. Faisal Malik is excellent as the intense cop who helps Alok and Tadaka.
Rachit Singh as Veeran and Raj Premi as Raktaksh impress in brief roles as betaals. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays to the gallery and often spills into over-the-top mode, the way he is prone to as a baddie in mainstream cinema (Kick, Munna Michael). Sathyaraj’s cameo as Elvis Karim Prabhakar is funny. Varun Dhawan’s cameo as Bhediya is interestingly included.
The technical team deserves kudos uniformly, and Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray must be complimented for the production design, Hemanti Sarkar for the editing, and Saurabh Goswami for his camerawork. The entire VFX and DI team and the choreographers and action coordinators have done a great job too, with the action never unpalatably violent.
On the minus side, the reference to 1947 was needless, and a better argument could have been kept to pass the message that man can be a beast. The climax could have been shorter and a shade less similar in tenor to the climax of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, the blockbuster horror comedy released in Diwali 2024.
Director Aditya Sarpotdar is in great control of the crazy goings-on and harnesses the emotional quotient well too. And though he has a massive budget vis-à-vis his debut hit last year. Munjya and also his OTT release, Kakuda, he makes sure that his storytelling skill is not diluted for mere bigness.
Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew and Arun Fulara kept the script pacy, full of superb fun and some great one-liners and overall, they as well as Aditya need to be complimented on their coordination.
The way the past members of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU) have been brought in is a judicious mix, though I personally found Abhishek Banerjee’s cameo half-baked.
Sachin-Jigar’s background score is different and innovative, though their songs are stereotypical Maddock melodies and now need reinvention. Nevertheless, Tum mere na hue and Rahe na rahe hum make a mark lyrically and musically.
I know we are missing big stars (after 22 years!) in a Diwali release, but Thamma compensates by its sheer entertainment quotient. Watch it then, and have a blast doing so!
Rating: ****
Maddock Films’ Thamma Produced by: Dinesh Vijan & Amar Kaushik Directed by: Aditya Sarpotdar Written by: Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew and Arun Fulara Music: Sachin-Jigar Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Paresh Rawal, Geeta Aggarwal Sharma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rachit Singh, Raj Premi, Hritika Kanwar, Deepak Kalra, Alexander O’Neill Sp. App.: Varun Dhawan, Sathyaraj, Abhishek Banerjee, Nora Fatehi & Malaika Arora
