May has been busy for Saiyaara (2025) star Aneet Padda, who was shooting the final schedule of her next, Shakti Shalini. Like all good things, this one came to an end too. On May 27, director Aditya Sarpotdar wrapped the horror comedy at Chitrarth Studio in Powai, where they filmed an elaborate sequence that sees the celebration of the protagonist’s victory over evil.

The latest chapter in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe sees Padda in a double role — as an ordinary woman-turned-protector Shakti, and an evil spirit Shalini. The story revolves around the vengeful ghost who punishes men, as she was betrayed and killed in a brutal manner, and her eventual face-off with Shakti.

About the last day of the shoot, a source shared, “Massive sets depicting a Rajasthani village and the interiors of a house were built. The sequence shows the village people, especially women, celebrating the defeat of evil.”

Things have progressed briskly on Shakti Shalini — also starring Vishal Jethwa and Viineet Kumar Siingh — since the horror comedy rolled in March. In early May, Padda and the team headed to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The source elaborated, “Viineet, who portrays the antagonist, and Aneet shot the climax across Chambal, Datia, Antri, Panihar, Gwalior, and Morena in Madhya Pradesh. They filmed significant portions in Dholpur and Barkhandi in Rajasthan. Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas joined the unit in May.”

I remember the single happiest day of my teenage years. I came back from school and found a pink letter on my table. It was a friendship band that was sent by Jasmeet Walia, aka Jassi. At 12, I genuinely thought of Jassi [the lead in the show Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin (2003–2006)] as my friend. And there began my love for Mona Singh. Many years later, during an interview, I told her this story and she laughed. “That innocence of Jassi is something I hope we always carry with ourselves,” she’d told me.

In the past few years, everywhere we look, we see Singh. She is the tough cop in Sudeep Sharma’s Kohrra. She is a don in Vir Das’s wacky Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos. She is the hero’s warm mother in Aryan Khan’s Ba***ds Of Bollywood (2025). She is the doctor who can save the world in Netflix’s Kaala Paani (2023). She is also Sunny Deol’s bantering wife in Border 2. And she is the menacing Babli Didi, a mafia queen in Suresh Triveni’s Subedaar. It raises the same question in everyone’s mind — how is she in so many things all at once, never looking out of place in any of these diverse set ups?

The best answer I found to this, came from a late night conversation with Saurabh Khanna, writer of Yeh Meri Family (2018), and the producer of Kaala Paani (2023). He said, quite-matter-of-factly, “She is a Bachchan! Aap koi bhi film dekh lo, Bachchan sahab ki, film kaisi bhi ho, Bachchan sahab kabhi kharab nahin hotey!”

Khanna’s Yeh Meri Family is considered to be Singh’s turning point. She played a mother to three kids in ’90s small town India. What about that show made Khanna think of Singh? “When we started casting, we knew we wanted familiar faces. This wasn’t a show about big lines, big drama. It was about everyday stories. She has this unique quality that she can shine in whatever you give her. Very rarely do we get actors who take punt on fresh ideas, who don’t ask ‘mere opposite kaun hai?’”

Singh broke out with her iconic role Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin in 2003. The role itself was a risk. Television boom had seen an influx of interesting new actors but for any avid TV viewer of that era, Jassi was a revelation. An unofficial adaptation of Ugly Betty, Jassi too was the story of how a spirited young hard working woman is constantly admonished because she does not meet the traditional standards of beauty.  At its peak, the show touched a TRP of 9.2 making it among the most-watched television programs in the country. In Jassi, young women saw their own story of being reduced to just their looks.

But success, especially of that magnitude, comes with its own design to pigeonhole someone. For Singh, the shadow of Jassi wouldn’t leave so easy. For years after the show ended, the industry struggled to see her beyond the braces.

“There was a time when people only saw me as Jassi,” she has said. Breaking that image took a lot of courage from her end, which also meant fresh punts. Between 2006 (after Jassi ended) and 2009, Singh was on both Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa and 3 Idiots (2009) — her first film with Aamir Khan, trying her hand at evolving in whatever way she could. She hosted reality shows, did her work in TV but she was made for greater things and it was the advent of OTT that put the spotlight back on her craft.

But it was Khanna’s Ye Meri Family and Ekta Kapoor’s Kehne Ko Humsafar Hai (2018–2020), that was the first of her big OTT outings. In the latter, Singh plays an independent artiste in a relationship with a married man. Written by Neena Gupta, the show portrays Singh with grace.

In 2018, Singh had told mid-day, “It is a tricky part. Ekta Kapoor (the show’s producer) was very sure from the beginning that she will not project her as a vamp. She is a modern woman who happens to fall in love with a married man.” It ties in with what Khanna had told us about Singh’s choices, “Expect the unexpected from her. That’s what she is seeking.”

It’s this very tryst that took her to play Aamir Khan’s mother in Laal Singh Chaddha (2022). As Singh had once corrected me, she is Laal’s mother, defending her decision of agreeing to play a mom to a man well her senior. During his drive from Goa to Mumbai, Adavait Chandan, director of Laal Singh Chaddha, called us to chat about what makes Singh such a phenomenal actor.

“There is a scene where she is crying when Aamir’s character is graduating. Even when I was directing that scene, I had tears in my eyes. It is my favourite scene of hers. She did become Laal’s mother. I find that loyalty she has her for work and craft, her most defining quality. She is a really great person and that energy feeds every character she plays. When our film didn’t work, she held me and we cried together. She taught me so much about how resilient an actor can be.”

But co-stars remember something entirely different about Singh. It’s her big laugh, that stays with those she meets on set, and her ability to remain calm under pressure.

Co-star Aditya Rawal, who worked with her on Subedaar, tells us, “This one day we had a big shoot sequence for Subedaar. We were shooting in Chembur and had ordered for chole bhature from somewhere. And then we had this really intense scene. No matter what Mona is shooting, she has this ability to stay calm. She can switch on and off between scenes. She is seamless in front of the camera. And as someone who was working with her, that I felt is the reason why she has endured across mediums, formats,” Rawal tells us.

Aditya Sarpotdar who directed her in the hit film Munjya (2024), told us, “She has always been a very secure actor. She would always encourage the new younger talent and was very approachable for all the young actors around her.”

But no one can read you better than the one who gave you your break. Rajan Shahi, who directed Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, says the secret to her evolution is quite simple. It’s the one virtue she has had all along in her life, “When I think of Mona, the thing that stands out is she is a selfless soul. She is a true artiste. I remember something from her pre-Jassi success days.  She was a nervous student, sitting with script, learning lines, scared before exams. Till date, she is still that nervous student wanting to do well. After the show broke out, Mona was the biggest TV star back then. I remember one day SRK was crossing our set, he and his children waved at her and she waved back. We then got a call from Yash Chopra saying Shah Rukh and his kids want to meet Mona. So many people change after success. They slow down creatively, fame corrupts them. But Mona has stayed grounded. She is humble and kind. When I watched Kohrra season two, I was so surprised that the same young girl is this fine actor today. You know why Mona jaisi koi nahin, because Mona remains unfazed by fame!”

Everyone has wanted to see more of Aneet Padda ever since she broke out with the sleeper hit, Saiyaara (2025). What if we told you that you’ll see two of her in her next, Shakti Shalini? mid-day has exclusively learnt that Padda plays a double role in Aditya Sarpotdar’s directorial venture, which is the next chapter in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe.

As the film’s title suggests, producer and co-writer Amar Kaushik and director Sarpotdar have etched out two powerful roles for the actor — the protector Shakti, and the evil force Shalini. From what we’ve heard, the horror comedy will see Shakti as an ordinary woman who transforms into an indestructible force when her family is attacked by an evil spirit.

A source told us, “Rooted in Bengali folklore and mythology, the movie revolves around the eternal battle between good and evil. The story is about a vengeful female ghost, dwelling in trees and water bodies, who punishes men, as she was betrayed and killed in a brutal manner. In Bengal, the goddess invoked to destroy evil spirits is Goddess Kali. She is recognised as the ultimate form of Shakti. Here, the character Shakti is pitted against the spirit.”

Sarpotdar took the project, also starring Vishal Jethwa and Viineet Kumar Siingh, on floors in Mumbai last month. The unit is currently shooting in Madh Island, where a massive set, depicting a small town in West Bengal, has been built.

The source added, “Next, they will head to Madhya Pradesh for an extensive schedule. Crucial scenes will be filmed in Datia, Gwalior, Morena, and other towns.”

For long, the question was: who will be the lead in Shakti Shalini, the latest instalment in Maddock Films’ horror comedy universe? That was settled when the banner announced that Aneet Padda will front the film. Now, many have been wondering who plays the antagonist in Aditya Sarpotdar’s directorial venture, and we’ve got the answer. Viineet Kumar Siingh’s team has confirmed to mid-day that he has been roped in as the horror comedy’s villain.

Siingh, who starred in Mukkabaaz (2018) and Superboys Of Malegaon (2025), has joined the shoot in Mumbai.

The actor’s team revealed, “This will be a departure from anything that Viineet has played before. He essays a darker antagonist here.”

A week-long shoot in Mumbai is on the cards, after which Siingh will take a break. The unit will then move to Madhya Pradesh. A source shared, “Shakti Shalini has high-octane drama, and the makers believe that an ensemble cast of Aneet, Viineet, and Vishal Jethwa will bring the gravitas that it needs.”

Debutante Aneet Padda basked in the mammoth success of her musical romance, Saiyaara, all of last year. Now, she is ready to move on to her next project. The climax of the Ayushmann Khurrana-led supernatural romance, Thamma (2025), teased with a glimpse of Shakti Shalini, the next story in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU). Sources tell mid-day that the first schedule of the horror comedy has been chalked out, with the pre-production about to wrap up.

“Aneet will begin shooting for the film in March. It’s going to be a marathon schedule. The film was earlier set to start rolling in January, but pre-production needed more time,” informs a source.

Rumours are rife that Homebound (2025) actor Vishal Jethwa is paired opposite Padda in the film. While the makers are mum about the director, mid-day has learnt that Aditya Sarpotdar — who helmed Thamma — has been signed on to captain this ship.

“Aditya’s relationship with Maddock Films began with Munjya (2024). He has a flair for combining mythology, horror, and humour. Shakti Shalini is fleshed out slightly different from the other MHCU films. [It will have] far more drama,” says an insider of the Christmas release.

What makes a good horror film truly terrifying? It’s not just the blood-curdling screams, eerie silences or sudden jump scares — it’s the invisible architecture behind the fear. The best horror filmmakers know that real terror lies in storytelling, emotion and technical precision. Crafting fear that lingers long after the credits roll demands far more than prosthetics and dim lighting; it requires vision, patience and a deep understanding of human psychology.

As Halloween approaches, BT speaks to directors who have ventured into the dark corridors of horror cinema to decode what makes the genre so challenging and rewarding to create.

For any director, the heart of a horror film is its story. Without it, scares feel hollow. Pavan Kirpalani, who directed Ragini MMS and Phobia, emphasizes that a strong script and invested characters are the foundation. “What makes a good horror film is a good script, a good story and a good theme. You have to invest in the story; invest in the world you’re entering into. Then the scares are just packaging. An action movie without a story is hollow. Once you have characters that you care about, the horror becomes intriguing, and the stakes are higher,” he explains.

Aditya Sarpotdar, director of Munjya and Thamma, believes relatability amplifies fear. “What always works in a good horror film is a relatable set-up. When you fear the unknown, it has to exist in a world you recognise,” he says. Recalling Bhoot directed by Ram Gopal Varma, he adds, “A ghost in a Mumbai apartment was terrifying. I thought... why wouldn’t the ghost be around where I am? That relatability is everything.”

Despite the recent success of films like Shaitaan and Stree 2, directors admit that pure horror remains a hard sell. “It’s difficult to get horror films backed by producers. A horror comedy is easier because it casts a wider net. Straight horror, production-wise and money-wise, is tougher to mount. We are still nowhere close to what the West is doing with it. We are still barely scratching the surface when it comes to horror,” says Pavan Kirpalani.

For director Vishal Furia, passion is paramount. “A filmmaker’s absolute love for the genre is what it takes to make a horror film. Unfortunately, people in India make horror films just to make a quick buck. But then they end up making a shoddy horror film, which is why the genre has not evolved in Bollywood. But if a filmmaker really puts his passion and love into the film, then he can make something interesting out of it,” he states.

When asked if it is a challenging genre to direct, Aditya Sarpotdar says, “Horror is difficult to direct because making the audience enter the world that you’re building depends on many factors, like the way you tell the story, the performances and other technicalities.”

Vishal Furia adds, “When the actor feels scared is when the audience feels scared. Even the person playing the ghost has to be mentally and physically strong. Under layers of prosthetic and constant retakes, performance can suffer. That’s why it’s one of the hardest genres to direct.”

On the other hand, Pavan Kirpalani believes, “A horror movie is easier to make as you’re only striding one tone.”

Once the story is set, horror lives in the craft. Vishal Furia, of Chhorii fame, believes this is a very technical genre. “Every department has to work perfectly. One misstep, and the scene could look funny or pull the audience out. The mood has to be consistent. The DOP, sound designer, prosthetics team, editor — everyone must be in rhythm. One bad lighting cue can kill a scare,” he explains.

Pavan Kirpalani echoes this and adds, “Making a horror film is a technical process. Sound, prosthetics, VFX, camera work, lighting — everything has to align. But most important is, what the character is doing, driven by the story.”

Vampires, in director Aditya Sarpotdar’s mind, were an out-and-out Western concept. Think biting cold, dark nights, Gothic architecture, all lending mood to the legend. But he was in for a surprise. “When we were researching, we realised that the idea of betaals preceded the concept of vampires. There are several articles referencing how the Western vampire might have been an offshoot of the betaal idea from the Indian subcontinent,” he shares. That seeded the idea of his vampire dramedy, Thamma.

The Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer is the latest addition to the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU). As he set out to create an Indian world of vampires, Sarpotdar took inspiration from the classic Hindi TV serial, Vikram Aur Betaal.

“Betaal there was quirky, smart, and cunning. He used to pose riddles to Vikram, then let out a distinct laugh and disappear. Nawaz’s character is, in many ways, modelled on that version. He is mischievous, unpredictable, and a bit mad,” he says.

With creator Amar Kaushik and writer Niren Bhatt, Sarpotdar — who previously made the horror comedy, Munjya (2024) — slowly crafted Thamma’s world. The director remembers the first moment he felt this “madness” truly come alive on set. It was during a night shoot at Film City in Goregaon.

Sarpotdar says, “We were shooting in our massive Betaal World set at Film City. When the actors put on their fangs and began performing the physicality of betaals, it felt crazy. After a few nights, it felt like that was where we belonged.”

When it came to casting, the first betaal Sarpotdar finalized was Mandanna. She cracked the first look test, he remembers. “In the look test, when she came out in costume and we gave her the fangs, the first pose she struck was perfect — this without even a brief. There was a certain dread and coldness, yet so much likeability. The way she has used her eyes and body to express that raw, jungle-like quality was exactly what the character needed.”

As much as fans loved the new characters in the MHCU, they equally loved seeing an old resident of the cinematic universe — Varun Dhawan aka Bhediya. A crossover between the MHCU films is a given. In Thamma, it materialised as a crucial Khurrana-versus-Dhawan fight sequence. The director breaks it down saying,

“In the script, we always had the Bhediya versus Thamma face-off planned. Varun does action very well, and Ayushmann has a high-energy style. They had to go at each other at a Batman-Superman level. Varun’s Bhediya is extremely loved, so his entry had to be kickass — that whistle-worthy slow-motion reveal. Then there’s the werewolf’s reveal. Both are designed as big moments.”

With the MHCU being populated by Stree and her rival Sarkata, werewolves, and now vampires, where is this world headed next?

The director smiles, “A lot of people feel there is huge potential for this universe to unfold further. After Stree, Bhediya, and now Thamma, we’re holding on to one wild card — a massive betaal versus werewolf showdown. The animosity between the two has been set up, and when they finally go at each other, it’s going to be a battle of two big superheroes. We want it to unfold in the most fun and mightiest way possible.”

What if we told you that ‘Thamma’ creator Amar Kaushik, writer Niren Bhatt, and director Aditya Sarpotdar go regularly to online forums and glean fan theories? “All three of us love reading fan theories,” laughs Sarpotdar, before adding that the practice inspires them to make the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe richer.

“We go on forums anonymously, read discussions about our films, and bring those ideas back to the drawing board. We all share this mindset of creating something crazier, something that nobody has ever seen before.”

Dark nights, vampires, and folk tales have been a part of Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna’s world for the past three months as they shot Thama. Now, the finish line is well within their sight. We’ve heard that director Aditya Sarpotdar began the vampire comedy’s last leg in Ooty on April 28. On the cards is a month-long schedule in the hill station and other parts of the Nilgiri forest in Tamil Nadu before Sarpotdar calls it a wrap on May 25.

The ongoing schedule could be the most important part as the unit will film the climax. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who apparently plays a vampire in the movie, is expected to join the shoot in the coming weeks.

A source reveals, “Starting April 28, Ayushmann and Rashmika filmed their portions in the forests of Ooty. They are currently filming in and around Doddabetta Peak. In this leg, the director will shoot some portions of the love story between the leads. After Nawazuddin joins the unit in the third week of May, they will shoot the backstory of how he became a vampire, and the climax.”

After this schedule is wrapped up by May 25, only two songs will remain to be shot before the movie hits the theatres this Diwali.

Thama is set in two timelines. The narrative moves between the present, in which Khurrana’s character is shown as a historian studying how vampires came to exist in Indian folklore, and the past that takes viewers to the ancient city of Vijayanagar.

The source adds, “An unrequited love story, rooted in the past, connects the two timelines. The title has been inspired by Ashwatthama, who was said to be immortal. The movie blends folklore, legends, and mythology.”

While Thama had a brief first schedule in December 2024, the director resumed full-fledged work in February, with the cast shooting in Delhi and Mumbai throughout March and April.

While the success of Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava has brought cheer to the Hindi film industry, it has left Munjya (2024) director Aditya Sarpotdar nostalgic. Not many know that he has a special connection with the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji’s life. Exactly a century ago, his great-grandfather, N D Sarpotdar, a pioneer in Indian cinema, had directed the silent film, Chhatrapati Sambhaji (1925). The historical drama, starring Parshwanath Yeshwant Altekar as Chhatrapati Sambhaji, was the first depiction of the Maratha ruler on screen.

“The United Pictures Syndicate produced the silent movie,” reveals Aditya, who is currently helming the horror comedy, Thama, for producer Dinesh Vijan’s banner that also backed Chhaava.

“I was telling Laxman [Utekar, Chhaava director] that this is such a great coincidence. I am directing for Maddock, where all of us have the same team—my DOP, art director and costume designer for Thama also worked on Chhaava. [Chhatrapati Sambhaji] was among the first few films made in the silent era of Indian cinema; it had actors from different states of the country because there were only a few filmmakers at that time. [What’s fascinating is that] even 100 years ago, filmmakers were choosing the same stories, and today, a film on the same narrative is also doing great business. These are timeless stories that one can keep making in different ways. The same subject still stands true 100 years later!”

The silent film had released on November 28, 1925 at Majestic Cinema in Girgaon, Bombay. How did Aditya discover this movie?

“We had a list of my great-grandfather’s movies as we are four generations into the film industry. My dad is a producer-distributor. So, we always knew about the film, but when Chhaava released, one of my cousins pointed out that we had also made this film. That’s how I was reminded of it,” he smiles. 

Unfortunately, he says the original movie reels and negatives, which were stored at the National Film Archive of India [in Pune], were lost to the 2003 fire.

So far, Aditya has directed horror comedies. Does he plan to follow in his great-grandfather’s footsteps and make a historical drama? “I am looking forward to doing it now. I did a partly historical series, The Secret Of The Shiledars, but I want to do a full-fledged historical war film.”

If 2023 marked Bollywood’s comeback year with a blockbuster revival, 2024 has been a “semi-hit” year, unanimously state trade experts. “The year started with a whimper,” rues trade analyst Taran Adarsh, adding, “Fighter (first release of this year starring Hritik Roshan-Deepika Padukone) didn’t meet expectations, especially with (filmmaker) Siddharth Anand riding high after Pathaan. It ended similarly with Baby John, which crashed on day two. Between these films, it’s been a case of kabhi kabhi khushi, kabhi bahut saara gham. Last year, we had four Rs. 500-crore grossers — Pathaan, Jawan, Gadar 2 and Animal. This year, big-budget films like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan tanked, and even Singham Again fell short of expectations.”

Surprisingly, horror turned out to be Bollywood’s lucky charm this year. Films like Munjya, Shaitaan, Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 broke genre barriers. Trade expert Atul Mohan observes, “Horror has been a hit-or-miss genre for our industry. These films changed that narrative.”

Old films found new love in 2024. The Avinash Tiwary-Triptii Dimri-starrer Laila Majnu (2018) became a sensation during its re-release. Similarly, Rockstar (2011), starring Ranbir Kapoor, saw renewed love. Movies such as Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein (2001) and Veer-Zaara (2004) also pulled crowds to theatres. This trend shows no signs of slowing, with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) gearing up for a return.

A major conversation this year revolved around escalating production costs and actor fees. Consequently, films made on controlled budgets stood out. Munjya, made on Rs. 30 crore, tripled its investment. Its director, Aditya Sarpotdar, says, “Even we didn’t anticipate these numbers, because it starred newcomers, was local in its flavour, had a CGI character.”

Yami Gautam’s Article 370 and Prasanth Varma’s HanuMan were other winners, with HanuMan delivering an impressive 241% ROI on a Rs. 25-crore budget.

Another triumph of controlled budgets was Laapataa Ladies. Sarpotdar credits its success to producer support: “Aamir Khan backing the movie further elevated its success. Even small profits matter when you consider the economics.”

Franchise films continued to wield power this year, with Pushpa 2 – The Rule raking in massive numbers, especially from its Hindi-dubbed version. Other sequels like Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (BB3) also performed exceptionally well.

Anees Bazmee, director of BB3, says, “Sequels enjoy goodwill, but you must deliver a good film. If one part fails, it’s not just the film that suffers; the entire franchise collapses.”

STREE 2

Budget: Rs. 60 crore

Box Office: Rs. 579 crore

PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE

Budget: Rs. 450 crore

Box Office: Rs. 700 crore

MUNJYA

Budget: Rs. 30 crore

Box Office: Rs. 107 crore

SHAITAAN

Budget: Rs. 60 crore

Box Office: Rs. 148 crore

BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3

Budget: Rs. 150 crore

Box Office: Rs. 245 crore

KALKI 2898AD

Budget: Rs. 600 crore

Box Office: Rs. 285 crore

ARTICLE 370

Budget: Rs. 20 crore

Rs. 77 crore

BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN

Budget: Rs. 350 crore

Box Office: Rs. 59 crore

FIGHTER

Budget: Rs. 250 crore

Box Office: Rs. 200 crore

BABY JOHN

Budget: Rs. 160 crore

Box Office: Rs. 19 crore

MAIDAAN

Budget: Rs. 250 crore

Box Office: Rs. 51 crore

JIGRA

Budget: Rs. 80 crore

Box Office: Rs. 31 crore

December appears to be full of vampires and fright for Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna. The actors, who are teaming up for the first time in Thama, began shooting for the vampire comedy last week. Sources tell us that director Aditya Sarpotdar called action on the project on December 12 at Chitra Studios in Powai.

Thama, which marks the next chapter in producer Dinesh Vijan’s horror comedy universe, plays out against two backdrops—present-day Delhi, and the Vijayanagara Empire of the past. While the project was to roll in October, it got delayed.

“Ayushmann, Rashmika and Paresh Rawal began with a night schedule on December 12. At Chitra Studio, a set depicting the Delhi home of Paresh’s character has been built by production designers Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray. The trio shot their introductory scenes against this setting. They will film at this location till December 23, after which they will take a New Year’s break,” reveals a source.

The unit will regroup in Delhi in January for a start-to-finish schedule. “After a month-long leg in the capital, the unit will move to Ooty in February, when Nawazuddin Siddiqui will join them. Aditya has lined up long shoots in the forests of Ooty, as Nawazuddin’s character is shown to reside in the jungle. The actor, who plays the antagonist, has been given a distinct look by costume designer Sheetal Sharma,” adds the source.

Things are moving at a brisk pace on Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna’s vampire film, the next chapter in producer Dinesh Vijan’s horror comedy universe. Only last month, it was heard that Aditya Sarpotdar’s directorial venture, earlier titled Vampires of Vijay Nagar, was rechristened Thamba. Now, there is an addition to the cast. mid-day has exclusively learnt that Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been roped in as the antagonist.

Playing a baddie is not new to Siddiqui, whose roles have ranged from grey in Badlapur (2015) and Munna Michael (2017) to all-black in Kick (2014) and Petta (2019). But essaying one in a horror comedy comes with its quirks.

A source revealed, “Thamba is set in two periods—in a north Indian city in the present day, and in the Vijaynagara Empire of the ancient past. Nawazuddin’s antagonist has been imagined as an eccentric yet violent character who lived centuries ago. He travels to the present to seek revenge and control the destinies of the two lead characters. The actor is looking forward to joining the horror comedy universe and bringing his own interpretation to the part. Aditya plans to do the look test with Nawazuddin after Diwali.”

Meanwhile, the leads have begun soft prep on Thamba. While leading lady Mandanna’s look test was conducted last month, Khurrana’s is slated today. If things go as planned, Sarpotdar will call action on the film in November-end or early December.

The source added, “The first two-week schedule will kick off with a night shift in Mumbai. A massive set of Vijayanagara is being built by production designers Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty for this leg. This will be followed by a Delhi schedule in January, and the final one in south India.”

In the final moments of Stree 2, Varun Dhawan’s character tells Abhishek Banerjee’s Janaa that blood-sucking beasts are wreaking havoc in Delhi, thus seeding the idea of Vampires Of Vijay Nagar. Now, the makers are setting the Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna-starrer into motion. mid-day has learnt that director Aditya Sarpotdar will kick off the horror comedy’s shoot in Mumbai in the first week of October, with the leads facing the camera by the third week.

So, what’s the next offering in the horror comedy universe all about? We’ve heard the film plays out against two backdrops—the present day set in a small town of north India, and in Vijayanagara of the ancient past. In the first schedule, Sarpotdar will focus on the portions depicting the present.

A source says, “The first schedule will kick off with a night shift. The production team will design a set reflecting a north Indian town. Ayushmann will be shown as an adventure-loving, sports enthusiast, while Rashmika has a layered role. She will also sport a distinct look in the film. Their look tests will take place in the first week of September.”

The source also indicates that Vijayanagara—which served as the capital of the flourishing Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century, and is known as Hampi today—and its history will be a crucial part of the narrative.

Sarpotdar, who tasted success with Munjya a few months ago, has roped in most members from that film’s team. “Production designers Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray, DoP Saurabh Goswami, costume designer Sheetal Sharma and writer Niren Bhatt are part of the team. Having written Bhediya [2022], Munjya and Stree 2, Niren knows exactly how to connect each story, and has written a convincing backstory for Vampires Of Vijay Nagar.”

Playing a cocky Bollywood superstar can be fun. But when Rajeev Khandelwal was offered the role in Showtime, he approached it with equal parts curiosity and skepticism, as it was a departure from anything he had played before. As the second part of the drama premières online, the actor’s doubts have been laid to rest.

People see me as intense and romantic, but this was completely [divorced from] the characters I have played. So, this praise has been unexpected. When your peers find you convincing, it feels great. When my wife said, ‘I loved your cockiness,’ it felt as if the appreciation coming my way is justified,” he chuckles.

From Bollywood’s drama-ridden corridors in Showtime, Khandelwal is now gearing up for a treasure hunt of sorts with his next Disney+ Hotstar show. The yet-untitled series, helmed by Munjya maker Aditya Sarpotdar, is an adaptation of Marathi novel Pratipashchandra. For the actor, the highlight is working with Sarpotdar. “There are people who want to bring another side to you [on screen]. Aditya is one of them. In this series, he will perform more than us because it’s all about storytelling. I keep telling him, ‘You had Munjya and Kakuda. Now, make this as big as Munjya,’” he laughs.

In a career spanning over two decades, Khandelwal has followed his own rules, be it transitioning to films at the peak of his TV career or taking regular breaks. “There is no safe way to approach anything. If you have [talent] and experiment, you will fall and rise, but you have to believe in yourself. Don’t believe in what others say. It is good to know that I didn’t corrupt myself.”

Comedies are synonymous with Riteish Deshmukh’s career, but he has added a dimension to the genre with Kakuda, a horror comedy. In Aditya Sarpotdar’s directorial venture, the actor plays a ghost-hunter. 

“As someone who has primarily worked in comedy, being part of the horror comedy genre was a refreshing change. The challenge was to strike the right balance between the two emotions, ensuring that the jump scares were effective while the comedic moments landed perfectly,” says Deshmukh, who is joined by Sonakshi Sinha and Saqib Saleem in the movie.

What was even more exciting for the actor was that his character wasn’t the run-of-the-mill, verse-chanting and ritual-following ghost-hunter. Instead, Sarpotdar and the writers have given a modern twist to the role.

“This is a quirky ghost-hunter. There is a unique blend of humour and modernity in his approach to ghost-hunting. Unlike the traditional ones we often see, my character brings a contemporary twist to the role, using modern gadgets and a witty personality to tackle the supernatural.”

The ZEE5 offering follows Sarpotdar’s Munjya, which has become a sleeper hit. Arriving right after a success can be pressuring, but Deshmukh has an optimistic take.

“Aditya is a fantastic director, and Munjya’s success is a testament to his storytelling prowess. We are aware of the high expectations. There is always a bit of pressure when you’re working on a project that follows a hit, but it’s the good kind of pressure that keeps you motivated. The key is to use it to fuel our creativity.”

What’s the recipe for a Rs 100-crore film? In a year that has largely seen movies faring poorly at the box office, Munjya—led by the relatively new face, Abhay Verma, and helmed by a Marathi filmmaker making inroads into Hindi cinema—has become a sleeper hit. The horror comedy’s gross collection crossed the Rs 100-crore mark on Monday, only the third film to achieve the feat this year after Fighter and Shaitaan. A thrilled Aditya Sarpotdar attributes the strong run to the story’s roots in Maharashtrian culture.

“What worked is that Munjya’s narrative was rooted in local Maharashtrian folklore. The story and the character were unique. When I visited theatres, most people said they were waiting to watch a movie that did not follow the storytelling template,” shares the director.

With Munjya, Sarpotdar—who previously helmed Marathi offerings Faster Fene (2017) and Zombivli (2022)— revisited the folklore of a Brahmin boy who, after his death, becomes a mischievous spirit residing on a peepal tree.

“A Rs. 100-crore film definitely sets the bar high. This gives us confidence to continue making films where the story and plot are the stars, where talent is preferred over star value, and where the scale is secondary to the story’s emotional connect. I’ve made over eight feature films in Marathi. I want to follow the way I have been making films all along.”

Recently, his peers from the Marathi film industry came together to celebrate the feat. He views Munjya’s success as more than a personal win.

“As filmmakers from the Marathi film industry, we’ve always supported each other. We know how difficult it has been to not only make our movies on a bigger scale in Hindi, but also to make a mark in this industry. So, the success of any of our movies is a collective success of the Marathi filmmakers’ community. Now, Bollywood is opening up to regional talent as we all are realising that the audience prefers content over everything else. Regional filmmakers have always prioritised content over star power.”

We can’t end our chat without asking whether a sequel to Munjya is in the works. It’s an emphatic yes from Sarpotdar. But before that, he will add a vampire story to producer Dinesh Vijan’s horror comedy universe, with Ayushmann Khurrana.

“We plan to make a fitting sequel. But as of now, I’m working on a romantic horror fantasy, tentatively titled Vampires Of Vijay Nagar.”

Days after Munjya is released in theatres, director Aditya Sarpotdar trains his focus on his next release, horror comedy Kakuda. He is collaborating with Riteish Deshmukh after Mauli (2018) and Sonakshi Sinha for the film based on an Indian folklore. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala, the movie is written by Chirag Garg and Avinash Dwivedi.

This will be Sarpotdar’s third film in the horror comedy genre after Marathi film Zombivili (2022) and Munjya. “The storyline of the film and character details are currently under wraps,” says Sarpotdar, heightening the anticipation among fans. The film set to release on an OTT platform is yet to find a streaming partner. 

“We are looking to release the film in the next two or three months. Until now, we have not decided the platform on which the film will be released,” he added.

Although he is spreading his wings in Bollywood, Sarpotdar is not giving up on Marathi films. He is simultaneously working on Faster Fene, co-produced by Deshmukh, which is a sequel to the 2017 detective crime thriller with the same name.

A suburb in Thane district has become the seat of a fantastical phenomenon that was born as far back as 17th century in a Caribbean country. Marathi film director Aditya Sarpotdar is proudly taking credit for helming the first zombie film in Marathi, and that too, based on a story set in Dombivli. Zombivli, which released on January 26, stars Amey Wagh, Vaidehi Parashurami and Lalit Prabhakar, and is the story of Sudhir (Wagh), an engineer who, with his pregnant wife Sapna (Parashurami) moves into a housing colony that’s plagued by acute water shortage. The storyline leads up to a zombie attack which is sparked in a hospital due to infected water.

Historians say that the first references to the walking dead culture could date back to Ancient Greece where bodies were found held down by rocks. But it became popular in Haiti when West African slaves were brought to work in the sugarcane fields, and although death seemed dearer than the conditions they lived and worked in, the slaves resisted suicide for fear of turning into zombies, human in form, physically strong, but soulless and devoid of self-awareness. Their only aim, to feed on human flesh.  

Sarpotdar, who has previously directed The Sholay Girl, Classmates, Satrangi Re and Mauli, says he was keen to keep the gore in check to make the tale a convincing one. He threw in humour, calling the horror comedy effort “zom com”. While Hindi films are seeing the genre slowly picking up in popularity with the success of Go Goa Gone, Stree and Roohi, Marathi cinema hasn’t had a serious brush with it. The mix of humour and thrill is one that he believes holds the promise of success. But it is a challenge “because, it is very difficult to scare the audience by building up the tempo to a moment of fear and then suddenly making them laugh.”

This, according to Sarpotdar is possible if you create a convincing world in which to place the characters. The humour crept in naturally because the universe in which the film is based is unfamiliar with zombies, and the manner in which the characters react to the walking dead, is unique and funny.  

While one of the first references to a zombie film can be traced back to the 1930s, it’s the early 2000s when the genre once again took hold inspired by Japanese low budget films that were aping video games. 

Sarpotdar was clear that he wouldn’t make the prosthetics and makeup over the top. “We wanted to make our zombies convincing for the Indian audience. They should not be grossed out; they should find them intriguing.”

Their reference for the execution were Korean zombie films, but more specifically, The Train to Busan (2016). However, the biggest challenge continued to be getting the makeup and look right. Yasmin Rodgers, the makeup artist who worked on the film, says, “Indian skin tones are dark unlike the Koreans who have fair skin. So, when we were creating the effects on the body, we realised that they were getting lost.”

She worked at making the “veins visible”. We did a lot of look and camera tests and tried different shades of green and red for the veins,” says Rodgers, who worked with a 15-member makeup crew. It would take about an hour to get a zombie ready and some scenes required as many as 80.

Sarpotdar says getting the makeup right makes the job of the special effects team a bit easier. For VFX artiste Ryan Mascarenhas, “my biggest challenge was to get the whitening of the eyes right.”

It was a first for many on the cast too, most of them have never worked in a fantastical film. Prabhakar had to learn to work with an out-of-control right hand his character had. “Getting the body language right was quite tough,” he says of the emotionless stance. “We also came up with some new words that sounded like cuss words but actually weren’t.”

That the film was born during the Coronavirus pandemic and shot between June and October 2020, meant that the team worked while having to honour lockdown restrictions. They chose not to shoot in Dombivli, they settled for Latur in Maharashtra. “A lot of the sequences have background replacements because we could not shoot in Dombivali since the Coronavirus cases were high in the area,” says Sarpotdar.

While operating at 50% capacity and with all mandatory safety protocols in place, cinema halls have seen some new releases and decent BO collections. However, the rising number of Coronavirus cases in the state have led to the Pune civic authorities shutting, cinemas, malls, restaurants and hotels for a seven-day period. Certain restrictions have been in place for a while in other parts of the state as well.

This has led some April film releases to be postponed, due to lower footfall and lesser shows. The Amitabh Bachchan-Emraan Hashmi-starrer Chehre, which was to release on April 9, has been postponed, as has been Bunty Aur Babli 2, featuring Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji and Siddhant Chaturvedi, which was slated for an April 23 release. The Hindi version of Haathi Mere Saathi, featuring Rana Daggubati and Pulkit Samrat was deferred last month, but it’s Tamil and Telugu versions got a theatrical release. There are unconfirmed reports of Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi not meeting its April 30 release, but there has been no official confirmation about the same till the time of going to press.

With filmmakers deciding to play the wait-and-watch game, some Marathi releases from this month have been deferred, too.

Touted to be the first zombie film in Marathi language, Zombivli features Amey Wagh, Vaidehi Parshurami and Lalit Prabhakar. Director Aditya Sarpotdar said, “In a situation where cinemas, including single screens, are not fully functional, I don’t think it’s advisable to release a film now. So, we are postponing the release of our movie indefinitely. When cinemas resume functions at full capacity and when people are mentally prepared to watch a film, we’ll think about the release. But we will have a theatrical release for sure.”

Free Hit Danka was supposed to release along with another Marathi film, Bali, and promotions were on in full swing for the same on social media. However, the makers have decided to postpone the release. Producer Sunil Magare told us, “We had all intentions of releasing the film as scheduled. But things are changing unexpectedly every few days. With the spike in cases, health should be everyone’s priority. Plus, looking at the response we got for the film’s teaser and songs, we feel that maximum people should be able to watch it, which is not possible right now. So, we are postponing the release and will announce a new date soon.”

The Swapnil Joshi-Pooja Sawant-starrer horror film Bali, directed by Vishal Furia, is the first big Marathi film to release after cinemas reopened. And the team is ensuring they stick to their schedule. Producer Kartik Nishandar said, “We had gotten an offer from an OTT platform for Bali during Diwali last year. But ours is a big screen release and we wanted to keep it that way. People need entertainment in their lives and filmmakers need to bring the business back on track. Of course, if occupancy was at 100% or if all cinemas were open, the response would’ve been even better. But even in the current capacity, we are not pulling out the film from theatres.”

Hemant Dhome’s upcoming directorial, Jhimma, shares its release with the Kangana Ranaut starrer Thalaivi. And like the latter, he is in no mood to shift the release any further. “Every other business is operating, so I don’t see why the entertainment industry shouldn’t, of course by taking all necessary precautions,” said Hemant. When asked if the early closing mandate will affect the number of shows, he replied, “Who knows, we might even get more shows because there will be only two films releasing that day. We all need to learn to live with COVID-19. What if for the next two years, the virus isn’t eradicated? Will we stop functioning for that long? We need to take all necessary precautions and keep going, because it’s a matter of livelihood for everyone. If the government announces a complete lockdown, then there will be no option for us but to defer the release. Until then, we are meeting you in cinemas on schedule.”

- Haathi Mere Saathi

- Chehre

- Free Hit Danka

- Zombivli

- Bunty Aur Babli 2