That ‘Thamma’ connects to the rest of Maddock’s horror-comedy universe (MHCU) is neither a spoiler nor a secret any more. But how it does that, and what that means for the larger universe — is the real deal.
Maddock’s ever-expanding horror-comedy universe got its first full-blown love story in ‘Thamma’, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna. But what really caught our attention wasn’t just the romance or the action, but also its clever twists. Twists that made fans of the ‘Stree’ and the ‘Bhediya’ franchises sit up and take notice. Because this time, the connections are so deep that one superhero really can’t survive without the other. Sounds confusing? Read on.
But stop here if you fear spoilers, because to understand the secret, you will need the full context.
The trailer of ‘Thamma’ already hinted at Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya making an appearance. What it didn’t reveal is how crucial that crossover is. Bhediya doesn’t just show up for a cameo, he becomes an integral part of Alok’s world. So much so that Ayushmann’s Alok, who despises Bhediya, soon realises he can’t survive without him. The irony? Bhediya, too, doesn’t hold Alok in high regard, even though both are mythical hybrids — part human, part beast.
From here on, Thamma and Bhediya’s fates are tightly woven together, and this intersection is what fuels the next chapter of Maddock’s horror-comedy saga.
At one point in ‘Thamma’, we meet a familiar face — the ever-so-delightful Jana (Abhishek Banerjee from the ‘Stree’ universe). He is looking for a cure for his friend Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan), whose powers as Bhediya have been fading ever since Sarkata struck him during the ‘Stree 2’ climax. Jana learns that the only way for Bhaskar to regain his strength is to drink a Betaal’s blood.
Here comes the twist: Betaals — vampire-like phantoms who protect humanity — are a new addition to the Maddock mythos. And Alok is one of them. But just when Alok begins to understand his purpose, he learns that a terrifying entity, Yakshasan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), has been set free. To face this greater evil, Alok must gain more power — and the only way to do that is by drinking Bhediya’s blood.
That’s the hook. That’s where ‘Bhediya’ and ‘Thamma’ get intertwined — their survival depends on feeding each other’s blood. But how can two beings destined to destroy one another come together to fight a bigger evil?
Their stories are now tangled in ways that are as dangerous as they are fascinating. As it stands, a clash between Ayushmann’s Betaal and Varun’s Bhediya looks inevitable before they can ever unite against the darkness ahead.
Now that’s an alliance worth waiting for, or a battle worth watching.
– Ends
