Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 (2024) is the highest Bollywood grosser of all time. Yet, the director remains humble and down-to-earth, just like he was when his debut directorial, Stree, became a surprise super-hit. The horror comedy universe began with the 2018 flick and now, it has gone to another level. The recently released Thamma, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rashmika Mandanna, is the latest entrant to the universe and has been successfully accepted, as evident by the first two-day figures. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Amar Kaushik spoke about producing Thamma, the process followed in connecting characters from the universe and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: From linking Stree to Thamma to planting secret Easter eggs – ‘Pitaji’ of MHCU Amar Kaushik delivers masterclass in Universe-Building; BREAKS silence on censor cuts: “‘Main tumhe azaadi doonga’ was uttered by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for a greater cause; CBFC’s point was valid…”
Let’s start with your energetic, dancing cameo in the song ‘Poison Baby’! You always have such cameos, even in your earlier films…
(Laughs) It all started with the first part of Stree. I have this habit of enacting the scenes for the actors. I also insist, ‘Mere jaisa nahin karna hai but something on these lines. So, for the scene of the beggar, it was Rajkummar Rao’s suggestion that I should act. He told me, ‘Tu hi yeh role karega’! And during the song shoot of ‘Kamariya’, we were all in high spirits and I decided that ‘Chalo isme ghus jaata hoon’! It was a fun experience and the film was a hit. Then, everybody insisted that I should keep doing such cameos. Hence, I had to make an appearance in Bala (2019), Bhediya (2022), Stree 2 and now in Thamma. In Stree, I appear twice, as a beggar and I am also dancing in the song ‘Kamariya’.
Oh yes. The only double-role cameo by a director in the history of Indian cinema!
(Smiles) Actually, I appeared thrice in Stree, not twice! The person sitting next to Rajkummar and Shraddha in the auto rickshaw when they are listening to the headphone is me! It happened because I had no choice. I had to look at the monitor and there was no follow-up car. Hence, I was sitting behind and by chance, my face got visible. But the shot was okayed, and that’s how it made it in the film.
Coming to Thamma, how has the feedback been?
It has been great. Now slowly, the world of the universe is getting connected; that was our aim to ensure that the characters of different films bump into each other. Thankfully, the audience is accepting it.
In my show, there was a great reaction as soon as Janardhan aka JD (Abhishek Banerjee) appeared on screen. I guess it worked as we didn’t know he was there. We only expected Elvis Karim Prabhakar (Sathyaraj) since he was shown in the trailer…
If I had my way, then I would have not even shown Sathyaraj. But I guess we have to give a little glimpse to excite the audience.
What gave you and Dinesh Vijan the confidence that Aditya Sarpotdar can helm Thamma? Was the decision taken after he directed Munjya?
Yes. We liked how Aditya executed Munjya. That is when I told him about the idea of Thamma. He liked it and came on board. Anyway, I can’t direct every film; otherwise, they’ll all look the same. Different directors will provide a different touch. Of course, the characters are mine and I know how they’ll react in another film which is not directed by me. Moreover, they are all connected. Thankfully, Aditya understood where I was coming from as he’s very sharp. He’s also very cool-headed and a very nice person at heart. These factors also motivated us to direct Thamma. And he has done a great job.
How do you and Dinesh Vijan divide the production responsibilities?
Dinoo is my bouncing board. I share with him all my thoughts, even the atrangi ones. Like, for Thamma, I envisaged that Bhediya should be bigger than before. I would share that with him and also how to scale up the film along the different twists and turns in the story. In turn, he would tell me, ‘You take a call if you think it is apt for the world you have created’. I guess he’s like Dada ji and I am Pitaji (laughs) of this universe. I mean its like a family where everyone is fulfilling their fair share of responsibilities.
I am also the one that keeps in mind that there have been 4 films before in the universe and many more to come. So, we need to insert breadcrumbs. Accordingly, I tell Aditya, ‘Isme yeh cheez daal de, yeh dialogue bolwa de as it will have relevance later on’. Our roadmap is ready and we have a basic idea of where the story would go from here on. Yet, there are times when we feel, ‘We missed adding this point; let’s do it next time’. It’s like a puzzle and we are trying to unravel it.
Tell us about the process of the casting…
Ayushmann Khurrana and I have been jamming on this story since Covid times. This was a time when I was going to direct it. I remember going to his home and narrating it. His daughter also heard the story and she enjoyed it. I told Ayushmann, ‘This is my audience’! Hence, Ayushmann was there from the very start. In the process, the idea underwent a change. After Stree 2, we added some more bits.
As for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, he is a fantastic actor. I was clear that just because Yakshasan is a villain, he need not be scary. The idea was that someone might not be physically dreaded and yet, should induce fear. I wanted to work with him for a long time. I met him for Thamma and told him that the role doesn’t have much screen time. But I assured him that going forward, his character would have a major relevance. He immediately gave his nod.
Paresh Rawal sir also came on board instantly. After watching Stree 2, he came out of the theatre. He called me and said, ‘You have created such a great universe. Consider actors like us as well’. I told him, ‘We were unable to do so as Stree 2 was a sequel to Stree and hence, the same characters had to be there’. However, I assured him that I would give him a role. 20 days later, I gave him the narration for Thamma and he loved it.
Similarly, Rashmika Mandanna was signed as she was apt for the part.
I couldn’t stop laughing when Nawazuddin’s character sings ‘Panchhi Banoon’. It has the Amar Kaushik trademark stamp as you like to add such stuff. The ‘O Huzoor’ bit in Bhediya also worked big time. Moreover, jokes like Paresh telling ‘Ayushmann Bhava’ to Ayushmann and Nawazuddin joking ‘Kya Betaal banega re tu’ raised a lot laughs…
(Laughs) I love this kind of humour. Writer Niren Bhatt and I think alike and enjoy such jokes. We love giving a fun, twisted meaning to a song or dialogue. Some people complain that meme culture is entering films. But aren’t memes a part of our lives? It’s a great way to connect with the youth and makes the film a product of today. In fact, 20 years later, when people would see Thamma or Stree, they would say, ‘Accha uss samay yeh meme bahut chala tha’.
Moreover, we should not be serious about these things when making an entertaining film. Of course, we are raising a larger point. In Thamma, the Betaals have stopped consuming human blood as they feel ‘Insaano ke khoon mein zeher aa gaya hai’. It’s a deep thought, and you’ll get such kind of things as well. But for entertainment, you can add such jokes. And which song should be used is a challenge. For instance, all the ADs and others in the team had reservations with the ‘O Huzoor’ joke in Bhediya. They said, ‘Yeh work nahin karega’. I told them, ‘Chup chap raho. Yeh work karega’ (laughs)! I was confident it would work.
So, do you feel sad when the Censors play spoilsport? There was a funny dialogue in the film when Alok (Ayushmann Khurrana) is trapped in the dungeon. Yakshasan wants to consume his blood. He tells him ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi dunga’. But because of the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), it was changed. Hence, did the change of dialogue dishearten you?
No, because they have a responsibility. They reasoned that the dialogue ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi doonga’ was uttered by a legendary freedom fighter (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose). Also, it was said for a greater cause while we were using it in a different way. I found their reason valid and decided to tweak the dialogue. In fact, ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aiyaashi karata hoon’ led to more laughter.
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More Pages: Thamma Box Office Collection , Thamma Movie Review
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