The trailer launch of Thamma - Maddock Films' much-awaited romantic horror-comedy starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna - turned into a much bigger event on Thursday as producer Dinesh Vijan and his team unveiled the logo of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe and rolled out a series of new announcements.
For the first time since Stree released in 2018, Maddock officially named its horror-comedy franchise. Shraddha Kapoor, who has been the face of Stree, introduced the Maddock Universe on stage. "Now it's time to forget international universes because we have our own desi horror universe," she told the crowd, unveiling the new logo to loud cheers.
Dinesh Vijan explained why he felt the need to create a connected cinematic world. "We have such a rich folklore, even if you look at Thamma. We always look at West for this kind of films. This film is about betal. Betals are enriched in our own culture but we look at West and say it's such an original thought. Because we are such an old civilisation a lot of original ideas are taken from our history. We were very aspirational to the West, thanks to the way India has progressed and we have become so proud of who we are and I think that changed in the last 10 years, that made us want to make our own universe and there were wise people who told me very early on that whatever you do, create a box where they all can exist, so this universe is that box dedicated to monsters," he said.
Ayushmann Khurrana, who joins the franchise with Thamma, called it a full-circle moment. "I am glad I am a part of the Maddock universe after my brother. It has become a family affair now. This is my second collaboration with Dinesh and Amar Kaushik. This Maddok Horror Comedy Universe, I think, is the biggest universe in the history of Indian cinema. This film is very rooted in our culture, and Maddock stands for this. One more thing Maddock stands for is women first. Navratri is going on and women are Goddesses, that's why Stree's Stree is here. But the question is, where is Thamma's Stree?" he quipped, referring to Rashmika Mandanna, who sent her wishes via a video message from Sicily, where she's filming Cocktail 2.
Kapoor also announced Choti Stree, an animated feature that will release before Stree 3. Conceived as a prequel, Choti Stree will end with a live-action scene leading directly into Stree 3 and reveal the backstory of the mysterious ghost. Two more characters - Shaktishali and Chamunda - will also be introduced in upcoming films.
Meanwhile, Thamma (earlier titled Thama) itself hits theatres this Diwali on October 21. Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, the vampire-themed romantic horror-comedy is Maddock's next big swing at blending scares, laughs and heart - and the launch proved it's just the beginning of a much larger monsterverse.
