Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana’s long-rumoured vampire comedy “Thama” will hit Indian cinemas during the lucrative Diwali frame next year, producers Maddock Films confirmed as the picture entered its last fortnight of filming in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.
Director Aditya Sarpotdar, working from a script by Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew and Arun Fulara, is shooting climactic sequences and a key flash-back that explains antagonist Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s undead origins, after which only two musical numbers remain before wrap.
Khurrana plays Arjun Thama, a present-day historian who uncovers vampire folklore stretching to the 15th-century Vijayanagar empire, a dual-timeline device the actor calls “supremely unique” and a “project of a lifetime”.
The title is a contraction of Ashwatthama, the immortal warrior of the Mahabharata, and signals Maddock’s plan to fuse mythology with the studio’s profitable horror-comedy universe that began with Stree and continued through Bhediya and the forthcoming Munjya.
“Having a big Diwali release feels surreal—it’s the biggest opening of my career,” Khurrana told Bollywood Hungama, adding that he hopes the film delivers the “festival joy” audiences associate with the holiday window.
Producer Dinesh Vijan argues the vampire-love-story angle will “expand the canvas” of his genre franchise, while co-producer Amar Kaushik insists localised folklore gives the brand “staying power beyond jump-scares”.
Trade analyst Girish Johar says the Diwali slot, traditionally monopolised by action spectacles, could benefit from counter-programming: “A wildcard like Thama can punch above its weight if word of mouth clicks,” he told ETimes, noting 2025’s slate is otherwise sequel-heavy.
Box-office watchers also point to Khurrana’s recent theatrical lull—his last clean hit was Dream Girl in 2019—arguing that an effects-driven crowd-pleaser is crucial for the actor’s return to form.
The cast pairs Khurrana for the first time with Rashmika Mandanna, supported by Paresh Rawal and Siddiqui, under a reported Jio Studios–Maddock co-financing deal that insiders value at ₹120 crore.
With cameras set to stop on 25 May and post-production gearing up for elaborate creature VFX, “Thama” is expected to square off against Salman Khan’s Sikandar and Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par in what trade circles predict will be the busiest festive frame since the pandemic.
