Amar Kaushik reveals Aneet Padda’s Shakti Shalini will be different from other MHCU films: ‘There will be many superhuman elements’

Amar also spoke about Mahayudh, which is slated to release in 2028. He said, “Mahayudh will have all the characters come together to fight someone bigger. There are two parts of the film. Dino (Dinesh Vijan) and I have made a map of what will happen in the film, and who will come in which part. Dinesh is very kicked about it.”

On Thamma and its success

Amar Kaushik also spoke about the success of Thamma and the responsibility that came with the benchmark set by Stree 2 and Munjya. “There was a responsibility with Thamma because our biggest challenge is to provide a great theatrical experience. We had to raise the bar for Thamma and live up to the horror comedy universe. We had to take that forward organically. We also had to consider all fan theories and see if we exceeded their expectations or not. Cinema has to be an experience; we wanted that with Thamma, and we got that. We have been getting great feedback, the audience is enjoying it, and making theories.

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On Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Thamma

Talking about Thamma’s actors, Amar Kaushik said, “From day one, we wanted to cast Ayushmann, Rashmika, and Nawazuddin in Thamma. We have been in talks with Ayushmann since 2020. Initially, I was going to direct Thamma, but then I had to do something else. When Rashmika was doing Chhaava, we had told her the story that time. I always wanted to work with Nawaz sir, and when I told him the idea, he was kicked about it. Paresh sir had messaged me after watching Stree and Bala that we should work together, and I told him that once I get a subject worthy of him, we will do it then.”

Speaking about Rashmika’s performance in the film, Amar pointed out how they always focus on projecting strong female characters at Maddock. He said, “Rashmika just got a chance to perform here; earlier in Hindi films, she wasn’t getting that chance. In our Maddock universe, our female characters are always very important. We always think about who can play the female lead first, and then we move to decide the male lead. Here we thought she had not gotten enough push earlier, so we could push her to do more, and she did the role quite perfectly.”

On Thamma’s box office trajectory and mixed reviews

Very few recent Hindi films have managed to perform well at the box office. As Thamma now aims to break even, Amar Kaushik reflected on the importance of box office numbers and audience validation. He said, “Performing at the box office is important, but to do well at the box office, you mess up at other places, so let’s not make a package. Munjya had a new face; we could have taken anyone, but we took that risk and didn’t think about recovering the budget. We are doing the same with Shakti Shalini. Somewhere for Dino, it’s very important to first serve the demand of the film, how to bring in the box office numbers, and how to market the film can be taken care of later. We first try to make a good film. But yes, the box office matters. If the numbers come, then only we can move forward.”

Amar added, “We try to be fully honest with our subject, and try not to manipulate it, thinking that it will get numbers. Your sole motive is to entertain the audience in the theatre. That doesn’t mean just to make them laugh, they have to be engrossed. I am very brutal when the film is being edited, even if a scene is worth Rs 2 crore and it’s not going well, I will remove it.”

Don’t Miss: Thamma box office collection day 2: Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer faces 25 percent drop, miles behind Stree 2; earns Rs 42 crore

Critics also noted that while Thamma featured commendable performances, its writing proved to be a weak point. Sharing his views on the same, Amar said, “Different people will have different opinions, and we cannot serve everyone. I just think people should not compare because every film has a different DNA. If we keep serving everyone, we will spoil the film, so we focus on a larger audience. You should not be very worried about criticism; take it as feedback, and do not let it demotivate you. If we go to please the one person who is talking badly, what about the others? Stree, Stree 2, Munjya, and Behdiya were initially not liked by people. When Behdiya was released, people had so many things to say about it, and now they are waiting for its sequel.”

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