Rashmika Mandanna and Ayushmann Khurrana in a scene from 'Thamma'.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Producer Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU) gets a new instalment, and this time it explores the dark world of vampires.
After a staged horror story badly fails, TV reporter Alok Goyal (Ayushmann Khurana) goes on an expedition to the mountains looking for a real paranormal scoop. Attacked by a bear, he runs for his life, only to be saved by Tadaka (a striking Rashmika Mandanna). She is a betaal — a vampire-like creature, not the betaal from India’s favourite ‘Vikram aur Betaal’ comic book series. Captivated by Alok’s heartbeat, Tadaka takes a liking for him. And he, in turn, is smitten by her beauty. Soon, Alok’s simple life becomes entangled in a web of supernatural events.
As with all star-crossed lovers, the two must defy the laws — legal and cultural — to be together, or sacrifice themselves for love. One such act by Tadaka brings them face to face with Yakshasan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) — the betaal clan’s vengeful ancestor, imprisoned for 75 years for breaking their foremost rule: abstaining from human blood.
If meat eaters are an object of contempt in the real world, human blood drinkers get that place in the vampire world. The betaals have an interesting reason why they must abstain from human blood, and it is spot on!
‘Thamma’ intelligently uses cultural and linguistic quirks. For example, it uses the ‘ra’ and ‘da’ sounds interchangeably, as some Hindi speakers do. When Tadaka comes to live with Alok in the city, she tells his parents her name is Tadaka. They are shocked that she is named after a mythical demon. Alok is quick to say, 'it's actually Tarika'. However, the humour doesn’t always land. The attempt at creating a comic villain falls flat. Yakshasan, despite Nawaz’s acting potential, ends up being underwhelming.
As the innocent yet fierce Tadaka, Rashmika effortlessly outshines Ayushmann. She excels even in the action scenes. Her character arc had enough potential to carry the film, but the male lead gets to steer the narrative.
Drawing from Indian myths, legends, history and folklore, ‘Thamma’ offers a fare of comedy, romance, horror and family drama. It also has two item songs intended to make it a Deepavali entertainer. However, ‘Stree’ and ‘Stree 2’ still remain the best of the MHCU.