You will move forward only when you keep your critics close: Amar Kaushik on 'Thamma'

Mumbai, Oct 25 (PTI) There will be criticism but what's the true victory for a filmmaker? According to Amar Kaushik, who kickstarted the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe with his 2018 hit "Stree", it is when one manages to keep viewers engaged throughout a movie.

Kaushik, who has produced the franchise's latest entry "Thamma" with Dinesh Vijan, said he is not someone who discards reviews as long as the criticism is not personal.

"I listen to the critics, it's not that I don't... But sometimes when they say something personal, I feel bad. We have tried to do something, appreciate it. We are also learning," said Kaushik, responding to critics who have called the Ayushmann Khurrana-Rashmika Mandanna starrer as one of the weakest in the MHCU, which includes titles like "Stree", "Stree 2", "Bhediya" and "Munjya".

"Look at the bigger picture—whether you’re entertained or not, whether you’re engrossed in the movie or not... For me, if I called you (to the theatre) for 2-2.5 hours and if you don't take out your mobile, then it's a victory," he told PTI in an interview.

Quoting Kabir's famous lines "Nindak niyare rakhiye...", Kaushik said he is someone who takes into account all kinds of opinions on the movie and the franchise.

"You will not move forward if you don't keep your critics close to you. So I understand what they want to say and I learn from them. But whether it's the weakest or not... Some think it's the strongest. A lot of people are saying that it's above 'Stree 2' and I also think that. Both are my films." The filmmaker said he encountered a similar discourse when they released "Bhediya", starring Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, in 2022. But now "Bhediya" is considered one of the bests in the MHCU.

"Stree 2" in 2024 was a major box office success and earned over Rs 500 crore in India. "Thamma", which released on Tuesday, has so far collected Rs 80 crore with makers hoping the collection to pick up over the weekend.

Asked how one determines the true success of a movie in the age of corporate bookings and other promotional campaigns, Kaushik said numbers is the last thing they think about while making a film.

"We didn't think about numbers in the first film or during 'Bhediya'. Sometimes they will be more, sometimes less. My priority is that it should be better in the way we are telling the story. It should be better in quality, the characters should evolve and it should engross the audiences... 'Bhediya's numbers were less, but I think 'Bhediya' was the best film in what it was trying to say about saving the jungle.

"My producer should make money. He should make double of what he has invested or the money that I have invested, I should get it back. I am happy with that," he said.

Kaushik is also aware that there will be people comparing "Thamma", about a man who transforms into a Betaal-like creature after encountering a mysterious woman named Tadaka, with the recent Hollywood vampire hit "Sinners" and Malayalam blockbuster "Lokah Chapter One".

"Thamma" is directed by Aditya Sapotdar, who earlier helmed "Munjya" for Maddock.

"I really enjoyed watching those movies. They did world building very well.

But our genre was different in terms of humour and our universe was already built up. So, we were a little different," he said.

Kaushik said when he was working on "Bhediya", writers Suresh Mathew and Arun Fulara came up with the vampire story, and he thought it would be interesting to introduce it in the franchise. They started looking into the folklore about 'Betaal' and the story of "Thamma" grew from there.

While horror and comedy formed the foundation for "Stree", "Bhediya", and "Munjya", Kaushik said they understood that "Thamma" needed to take a slightly different approach.

"The DNA of this film was always romance, though overall it is a horror-comedy. When you talk about vampires, then it can't have horror. When they are talking, you cannot bring horror. When does horror come? When you don't know anything and you have a curiosity that there might be a ghost in a dark place. You are playing with fear, then you get horror. With this movie, we knew that romance is the biggest thing," he said.

Kaushik, who had earlier collaborated with Ayushmann for his 2019 satirical comedy "Bala", said he knew the actor would join the MHCU some day.

"We have known Ayushmann since 'Bala', so we knew that we would do something with him. And as for Rashmika, it was from Dino, who met and talked to her for the project." The film also features veteran actor Paresh Rawal as the father of Ayushmann's Alok and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the film's main antagonist, a vampire named Yaskshasan.

Kaushik said Rawal liked "Stree 2" a lot and had called him to congratulate for the movie.

"He said that we made a very good movie. I told him, 'There is one more character in the universe, will you do it?' He said, 'yes, definitely.' Nawaz was on my mind for a long time. I did a film called 'Aamir', in which I was an assistant. I saw Nawaz then. He was the acting coach in that film," he said.

The Maddock Horror Comedy Universe is poised for expansion with an exciting slate of upcoming films, including “Shakti Shalini”, “Bhediya 2”, “Chamunda”, “Stree 3” and “Maha Munjya”, culminating with “Pehla Mahayudh” and “Doosara Mahayudh”. PTI KKP RB RB