'I would rather make movies in this universe and build up a loyal fan base over a period.'
The success of Thamma has propelled Maddock's cinematic universe into top gear, charting its course all the way to 2028.
The franchise is set to culminate in an Avengers: Endgame-style finale -- a two-part epic titled Pehla Mahayudh and Dusra Mahayudh.
At the forefront of this ambitious saga is Thamma and Munjya Director Aditya Sarpotdar.
"There's a basic idea of what's going to happen in Pehla and Dusra Mahayudh, but there are at least four more movies before that," Aditya outlines the plan to Mayur Sanap/Rediff.
Munjya had a central character made entirely out of CG. Was the VFX work less daunting this time around?
Actually, Thamma was more ambitious and more CG and VFX-oriented than Munjya was.
The number of shots I have in Thamma for the Bhediya sequence is as good as the whole of Munjya.
That sequence has around about 44 shots of the werewolf, which is fully CG. And the film has around 120 shots of a digital character where you show them jumping and flying.
The difference in Munjya and this film is because you saw Munjya throughout the film, you could see his presence as a CG character.
In the Bhediya sequence, you see it in one go for five minutes straight.
At the trailer launch event, you talked about your fan-boy moment with Paresh Rawal on Thamma sets. Tell us about it.
We've all grown up watching Paresh Rawal. Who doesn't remember Andaz Apna Apna, right?
So many iconic films he has done!
When I got a chance to work with him, I used to constantly ask him, Pareshji how did you do that scene as Baburao? Or as Ram Gopal Bajaj in that Teja mein hoon mark idhar hain scene from Andaz Apna Apna?
We used to have these really interesting conversations, and he used to tell us the ideas behind how he did it. It was an amazing time shooting with him.
He's a veteran actor who brings more than 40 years of experience on screen. It was not just me, I'm sure it was a fanboy moment for Ayushmann and others as well.
Both Rashmika Mandanna and Ayushmann Khurranna are in never-seen-before avatars in Thamma. What was their reaction like when they first read the script?
They said it is exciting, but also challenging.
They had two questions on their mind.
Firstly, how are we going to do this with fangs and makeup? They wanted to know how I was going to show the vampire.
Secondly, they wanted to know how we were going to shoot the action and the stunts, and how much VFX would be there.
We did a look test and they were convinced. Everything else followed.
We did workshops, rehearsals.
They also had to get their physical space correct for the character.
The film was criticised for an excess of item songs.
Each one has their own taste and liking.
If you watch the film, the songs actually were more of where the story is going.
Songs like Poison Baby or Dilbar Ki Aankhon Ka are in the background and the story is moving ahead.
When you see these songs in the promotion as standalone songs, without any context to the story, there is definitely a sense that iss film mein toh item songs hi honge aur film mein kuch dum nahin hoga.
But we were sure that, at some point of time, if you like the music of a film, if you think that the music is interesting, and once you get to know about the film, you will realise that there's more to the film.
I feel it works positively for the film.
I do agree that now people have a certain sense of how songs should be shown in movies, and it is something we have kind of understood and learned from.
Marathi films like Faster Fene, Classmates, Mauli and Zombivli proved your talent as a multi-genre director. But in Hindi, you're mostly doing horror comedies. Do you think this might be limiting your creativity?
Yes. I want to do other genres, and will do them at the right time.
What is happening right now is that I am not doing random horror comedies. I'm doing them under a certain story narrative, which is under the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU).
For me, what is important is that all these stories are interconnected. I am making one large film, maybe Munjya part one, which goes into sequel. Or maybe Thamma, which goes into a sequel.
All these films are interconnected.
They are all under one large story.
So for me to tell these stories through the MHCU is very exciting because I'm getting to do films that have a lot of fantastical storytelling, have good budgets, have access to good actors, have a lot of scope and cater to a young audience.
So right now, it is more of a long-term plan.
Rather than attempting something completely different, I would rather make these movies in this universe and build up a loyal fan base over a period.
But you will also see me exploring different genres.
The Munjya sequel is scheduled for 2027. Does it mean you are going to slow down for a while?
2027 is a certain basic plan we have.
There is also Shakti Shalini and Chamunda. Then there's Bhediya 2.
The dates are announced because their stories are interconnected.
With Shakti Shalini, we will announce our next film. Then that film will announce the next one.
So accordingly, you'll get more clarity on Maha Munjya, whether it's 2027 beginning or 2027 end.
As of now, the focus is on getting the Shakti Shalini and Bhediya sequels working. That's where we are at.
How involved are you with other films within MHCU?
There is a certain clarity that we have amongst each other.
As far as Amar (Kaushik) is concerned, he has created this universe from scratch. Stree started it.
When I joined in, during Munjya, he had already made Stree and Bhediya. And he was midway into making Stree 2.
There was a certain plan that he had put into place.
Now Munjya being successful, we realised that there's a lot more we can do. That is where our ideation started. I started giving my ideas to this world.
Now we're just moving ahead with one idea at a time.
I have come in as his co-creator. We have the writer, Niren Bhatt, we have Amar as a producer-director, and me as a creative director on this.
The three of us decide what else can be done.
We keep watching fan-made videos and these conspiracy theories that many creators create about the universe. It's interesting to see what people are thinking and how their minds are working.
We brainstorm together. It's an interesting teamwork process.
I'm also having fun because these are the kind of movies I would want to make.
Has the prep already begun for Pehla Mahayudh and Dusra Mahayudh?
That is too far off, man.
There's a basic idea of what's going to happen in Pehla and Dusra Mahayudh, but there are at least four more movies before that.
I'm moving on to the next film in the same universe. Whether it is Maha Munjya or Shakti Shalini, we are figuring out the timelines.
Thamma just released, so we are also trying to get a sense of what's working and what's not.
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