Thamma Review: “Thamma: Baat Nahi Bani…”

BY SHANTISWAROOP TRIPATHI

• Rating: 2.5 stars
• Producer: Dinesh Vijan
• Writers: Neeren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew, Afrun Flora
• Director: Aditya Sarpotdar
• Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Paresh Rawal, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Banerjee, Faisal Malik, Satya Raj, Geeta Agrawal
• Duration: 2 hours 29 minutes

In recent years, Hindi cinema has seen a decline unlike anything in its more than 100-year history. Bollywood has not only faltered in quality but has also attempted to rewrite history. Some filmmakers have gone so far as to tamper with folklore, legends, and religious or mythological stories. In this context, producers like Dinesh Vijan, known for hits like Stree and Stree 2, and directors like Aditya Sarpotdar, behind films like Munja and Kathwa, are notable. On the occasion of Diwali, October 21, Dinesh Vijan and Aditya Sarpotdar present a mystery, comedy, romance, and action-packed film, Thamma, which explains how the mighty demon warrior Rakthbeej was killed by the vetala, who drank his blood. The film also presents several other facts that challenge those who claim supremacy in the name of Sanatan Dharma. However, the film fails to properly blend folklore, the Rakthbeej narrative, and modern-day context.

Story

Alok Goyal (Ayushmann Khurrana), a TV journalist and Instagram reels enthusiast, goes trekking in dense forests with two friends but is suddenly attacked by a bear. Just before his death, a mysterious sorceress (Rashmika Mandanna) intervenes and saves him. She takes him to her hideout in the forest and tends to his injuries. Alok learns that she belongs to a race of immortal vetalas with supernatural powers, but by then he has already fallen in love with her.

Vetalas are beings who, in 323 BCE, survived by drinking human blood but now live apart from the human world. Their evil leader, Yakshashasak (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), violated this rule and was therefore imprisoned in a cursed cave for a hundred years.

The sorceress realizes she cannot truly be part of the human world, yet her romance with Alok continues. Defying rules, she moves in with him in Delhi. One day, a vetala who works as a police inspector visits her, warning her. She tries to leave Alok, but he suffers an accident, and to save him, she drinks his blood, turning Alok into a vetala. As punishment for breaking the rules, she is imprisoned while Yakshashasak is freed. Humanity is once again under threat. Meanwhile, another universal warrior, Bhediya (Varun Dhawan), also craves Alok’s blood, as it contains “Thamma blood” which could make him all-powerful. Alok must now fight on three fronts—protect humanity from Yakshashasak, fend off Bhediya, and rescue his love. Whether he succeeds or not, the audience will have to watch the film to find out.

Review

Aditya Sarpotdar, director of horror films like Munja, completely fails in Thamma. This is a lifeless film with no comedy, romance, thrill, or horror. In short, the filmmakers have awkwardly stitched together unrelated elements without coherence. References to Bhediya and Munja are awkwardly inserted, slowing the story down. The writers and director attempt to justify this copy-paste approach as “original,” merging vampire and Dracula motifs from Western cinema with Indian folklore, but it backfires. Unlike Stree 2, which subtly explored patriarchal themes alongside horror, Thamma has nothing of the sort. Its plot appears as a patchwork of random elements, from the blood of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to centuries-old humans drinking blood at a vetala party.

Despite having three writers—Neeren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew, and Afrun Flora—it seems none knew how to write a proper entertainment-focused script. It’s hard to believe that the same director, Aditya Sarpotdar, who made Munja, directed this. The filmmakers neither studied nor understood folklore or the story of Rakthbeej. The climax is particularly weak, and the film clearly needed tighter editing.

Performances

Ayushmann Khurrana disappoints as Alok Goyal. His confidence has been faltering film by film. Rashmika Mandanna fails to do justice to her role, primarily because the writers did not flesh out her character properly. The script claims that Vetalas are emotionless, so the romance between Alok and the sorceress feels unconvincing. Varun Dhawan as Bhediya is another letdown—after 13 years in the industry, he still overacts instead of delivering a nuanced performance. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Thamma/Yakshashasak is surprising—his character is too short and his performance resembles a monkey jumping around on stage. Paresh Rawal delivers a decent performance.

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