Thamma Movie Review: Horror dies, comedy fades in Ayushmann Khurrana’s loud fang-show

Thamma Movie Review:

Ayushmann Khurrana turning into a vampire may seem like a clever extension in the actor’s filmography. Right from his debut in 2012 with Vicky Donor, Ayushmann has played underconfident, male characters who have trouble coming to terms with either their identity (Dream Girl, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan) or dealing with the distinctiveness of their physical personality (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Bala). What if now, he develops extended fangs, his eyes turn red and his heart stops beating? The idea is only mildly amusing in a year where vampires have invited much subversion, whether it is in the rousing, fable-like charm of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners or the blend of a local legend with sci-fi sensibilities in Dominic Arun’s Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. Unlike these films, however, Thamma gets along with bare minimum. It starts without any sign of novelty before roaring away into 150-minutes of nothingness.

Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal, Sathyaraj

Directed by: Aditya Sarpotdar

Written by: Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew and Arun Falara 

This time, Ayushmann’s usual North Indian quirky man meets the weight of Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU). The actor plays Alok Goyal, a dummy journalist who goes into a forest along with his friends, only to be abandoned by them when a grizzly bear strikes. Alok is saved by Taadka (Rashmika Mandanna), a blood-sucking betaal, made to wear exotic, revealing clothes only to serve the rampant male-gaze, which the franchise has adapted since inception. It is always about a man, trying to woo a girl as things go horribly wrong. Taadka is trying to protect Alok from other betaals reigning in the forest, who wish to hand him over to their chained leader, Yakshasana (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and free him from a 75-year-old curse. The two later manage to escape to the city, leaving Yakshasana fuming.

Thamma positions itself primarily as a love story between Alok and Taadka but the screenplay doesn’t really take time to establish the authenticity of their emotions. Their bond grows stronger without us feeling a thing; their chance meeting turns into love rather conveniently. So, when Alok tells her that they should live together, the moment feels contrived. It is also surprising how little the film has in terms of world building. Apart from some generic visuals of a mythical place in the forest where the betaals operate, there are barely any pressing details that stand out. A tiring, extended portion involves Alok’s father, played by Paresh Rawal, eyeing him and Taadka with suspicion and starting a parallel investigation. It feels extremely force-fitted just to invoke laughs. The humour stays consistently dry throughout. It is hard to believe that the film belongs to the same cinematic world that gave such genuinely fun moments in Munjya (2024), Stree 2 (2024) and Bhediya (2022).

Director Aditya Sarpotdar operates rather straightforwardly in a script that lacks any soul. There is no greater idea being explored here by bringing in the imagery of vampires. The film feels perennially confused and out of place. There are pretentious alternate realities presented when we see Nawazuddin’s Yakshasana biting the neck of Alexander The Great in 323 BC or when their group pledge to save innocents from rioters during the partition violence. Taadka mentions in a dialogue that they decided not to suck blood from humans after seeing the destruction in 1947 and concluding that human blood is filled with venom and hate. It’s as literal and tacky as it gets, masquerading as something deep.

Through all this, Thamma strangely begins to feel like a dubbed version of itself. Even the performances don’t really bind it together. Ayushmann quickly falls into a repetitive mode without a strong motivation or conflict to drive the character. Rashmika struggles in emoting the mysterious appeal of Taadka and maintains a stone face throughout. Nawazuddin is made out to be just an extension of his character from Kick (2014), with his exaggerated laugh and nonsensical words failing to appear either menacing or funny. Maybe it is designed to be drab and indifferent. How else can one make sense of the sheer lack of inspiration in filmmaking?

The real horror in Thamma is realising it’s still not over; the comedy meanwhile, dies long before the vampires do, staying buried under flat gags and dated jokes. To shake the monotony, Varun Dhawan makes a rather laughable entry late into the second half and the memory of the film being part of MHCU sprawls up. It is the weakest entry in the universe; a hollow spectacle that is all talk and no play. In a scene, when Alok gulps down that 3000-year-old blood and passes out, it feels strangely envious. At least he has the privilege of escaping the life-sucking doom that unfolds.