Ayushmann Khurrana, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Rashmika Mandanna’s upcoming film Thamma is all set to hit theatres on Tuesday, October 21. The film is part of Maddock Films’ horror-comedy universe, which includes movies like Stree, Bhediya, and Stree 2. While the promos initially led audiences to believe that Thamma revolves around vampires, Ayushmann has now clarified that it is based on betaalism.
Speaking to Bollywood Bubble ahead of the film’s release, Ayushmann revealed, “Thamma is about betaals, not vampires. In Indian mythology, a betaal is an evil spirit that haunts cremation grounds and possesses corpses. Hum isko bolte hain betaalism — betaal hai, vampire nahi (We call this betaalism — it’s betaal, not vampire).”
He added, “It’s based on Indian folklore. The film’s title Thamma is derived from Ashwatthama. Dinesh Vijan came up with the idea, and the most powerful betaal in our story is Thamma.”
Thamma vs Lokah
Ahead of the release, Ayushmann also spoke about how Thamma differs from the Malayalam blockbuster Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra, which featured vampire elements.
In a chat with Galatta Plus, Ayushmann said, “We are high on comedy.” He explained that Thamma is designed for a wider Hindi-speaking audience, while Lokah catered to a more niche multiplex crowd. “We have different genres, different situations, and it’s a completely different story. There’s hardly any similarity,” he added.
When asked whether Rashmika’s character is a vampire like in Lokah, both Ayushmann and Rashmika chose to stay tight-lipped.
About Thamma Trailer
The trailer begins with Rashmika introducing Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character Yakshasan as the protector of the world, who later turns rogue to become Thamma. It also features glimpses of romantic moments between Ayushmann and Rashmika before Ayushmann’s character, Alok, finds himself transformed into a vampire — his heartbeat gone, and fangs emerging. What follows is a rollercoaster journey filled with horror, humour, and heart.
The film stars Ayushmann as Alok, Rashmika as Tadaka, Nawazuddin as Yakshasan, Paresh Rawal as Ram Bajaj Goyal, and Sathyaraj as Elvis Karim Prabhakar.
Sharing the trailer, Maddock Films wrote, “A forgotten legend from our folklore, Thamma takes centre stage this Diwali. Maddock Horror Comedy Universe presents a bloody love story, produced by Dinesh Vijan & Amar Kaushik and directed by Aditya Sarpotdar. In cinemas worldwide on 21st October.”
