‘Shah Rukh Khan can be the Iron Man of horror universe’: Thamma director defends item numbers in Ayushmann Khurrana movie

Aditya Sarpotdar brushed off criticism about the film’s three item numbers, noting that many of those now complaining are the same audiences who had previously celebrated similar songs in Munjya and Stree 2.

Shah Rukh Khan will be next seen in King.

Aditya Sarpotdar reveals that Shah Rukh Khan could play a character who unites everyone in the universe.

Thamma, the sixth entry in Dinesh Vijan’s expanding horror-comedy universe, which has previously given audiences Stree, Stree 2, Bhediya and Munjya, is a film about vampires. Starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna, the film is directed by Munjya filmmaker Aditya Sarpotdar and has so far grossed Rs 124.05 crore. While Thamma has received a mixed response from audiences, there’s one thing fans are curious about, the future of this growing cinematic universe. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, director Aditya Sarpotdar opened up about what lies ahead and even speculated on what it might look like if Shah Rukh Khan joined the franchise.

“If Shah Rukh Khan is part of this universe, I think so much can be done, right? What could he become, man? It would be crazy, right? To have Shah Rukh! Definitely he would have a stand-alone film. But what kind of film, and who would he be?” When asked if SRK could take on the role of the ultimate villain, the “Thanos” of the universe, Sarpotdar quickly dismissed the idea. “No, no, no. He can’t be the ultimate villain. Shah Rukh Khan has done great villain roles, we’re all aware of Darr and Ram Jaane and all of that. But now he is the hero. He is the superstar. He has to do something that brings everyone together. He can be more of a Captain America. Or, no, actually, more like Iron Man rather than a Thanos? He has to be the one wearing the glove and doing that click at the very end. That’s what a superstar does. But I do feel that he has done Ra.One, he has done these superhero films also in his own way and his own space, which he has done really well. And to top that, then you need something crazier, bigger, more scaled up, and something you’ve never thought of.”

Sarpotdar also addressed criticism surrounding Thamma’s inclusion of three “item songs,” which some viewers felt clashed with the feminist lens of earlier films like Stree and Stree 2. “All these things are marketing assets that lead you into a film. What counts at the end of the day is what the film is. When you sit through a film, what do you get out of it? For me, when these songs come into the film, I want them there because I know my story unfolds there. At some point, the fact that you feel that the film is only known for its item numbers is unfortunate, because that’s not what the film is known for. That was never the intention.” He pointed out that audiences who are now critical of the songs have previously embraced similar numbers in earlier films from the same universe.

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“You also can’t deny the fact that this is the same audience who has watched my earlier films, say Munjya, where Taras became a massive hit, right? It’s the same audience who loved Aaj Ki Raat, right? Nobody had a problem there. It’s just that now, because you see it happening a lot more, you feel it’s a problem. And I say, okay, you can have an opinion and you don’t like it. I’ll take it in my stride. But maybe what’s also happening is: in a vampire film, you need a certain sense of glitz, glamour, and madness. Here, we had the chance to do that.” Explaining further, the director added: “In Munjya, if I had put three item numbers, there was no chance to do that, the world is different. But here, you have a sense of a world that is intriguing, marvellous, glamorous, a little crazy, in the sense of what vampires could be. Maybe that’s how we went ahead thinking about it.”

He is also glad that, despite the criticism, audiences have turned up to watch the film: “But what’s happened is that even before the film released, it got branded as an ‘item number film’, and that, I think, is a very typical mindset. Because you have accepted the same songs wholeheartedly and enjoyed them earlier. Now suddenly you have a problem with them. It’s a little odd. But okay, I understand. And I am glad that the same people also came and watched the film. People have seen the film. So as long as you see the film, that’s the point.”

Up next in the horror-comedy universe is Shakti Shalini, starring Aneet Padda in the titular role.

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