Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 27: When Bollywood decides to blend horror with meme-culture comedy, the results are rarely subtle. Thamma, the latest offering starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna, dropped its trailer this week, and let’s just say — the reactions have been anything but uniform. From memes flooding X (formerly Twitter) to cinephiles wondering if Bollywood’s obsession with “desi horror universes” has finally peaked, Thamma has successfully ignited a debate before its release.
But isn’t that what trailers are supposed to do? Stir chaos, spark curiosity, and push fans to pick sides? On that front, mission accomplished.
A Trailer That Walks a Tightrope
At first glance, the trailer appears ambitious. Set in a sleepy Indian town haunted by legends, Thamma attempts to juggle horror tropes with punchline-heavy comedy. Ayushmann Khurrana plays a reluctant ghostbuster of sorts — equal parts confused and brave — while Rashmika Mandanna’s role is wrapped in mystery but packaged with the charm she’s been steadily exporting to Hindi cinema.
Shraddha Kapoor’s cameo, revealed dramatically at the trailer launch, has already stolen headlines. Dubbed “the Meena Kumari moment” by her fans, her appearance sent social media into meltdown, with many saying she outshone the leads in just a few frames.
And then there are the jokes. Some witty, some tired, some recycled from meme pages. The problem? When you mix horror with humor, the balance has to be razor-sharp. A forced punchline can kill suspense faster than the ghost itself. Several users online pointed out that certain gags in the trailer felt “TikTok-ish” rather than cinematic.
Fan Reactions: Applause Meets Facepalms
If you thought audiences would unanimously lap it up, think again. Here’s the mood across platforms:
-
Positive Buzz
-
Ayushmann’s comic timing is, as usual, on point.
-
Rashmika’s screen presence was praised as “refreshing” in a genre where female leads often get sidelined.
-
The eerie backdrop and production design got thumbs-up, with some comparing it favorably to earlier horror-comedies like Stree.
-
-
Not-So-Positive Buzz
-
Several called out the jokes as “manufactured comedy” — meme setups disguised as dialogues.
-
Others felt Bollywood is over-stretching its horror-comedy template, creating fatigue after Stree, Bhediya, and similar ventures.
-
Shraddha Kapoor’s cameo overshadowing the leads has ironically been labeled both a blessing and a curse.
-
One X user cheekily wrote, “Forget horror. The scariest part of the trailer was the writing team laughing at their own jokes.”
The Money & The Math
Reports suggest Thamma has been mounted on a budget north of ₹85–90 crore, banking heavily on star power and franchise potential. The film has been marketed as the next installment in a loosely connected “desi horror universe,” which, according to insiders, is already being mapped for future spin-offs.
The trailer launch itself was a spectacle, with extravagant sets and thematic backdrops, signaling that the makers aren’t treating this as a side experiment. While box office projections are cautiously optimistic, trade pundits are wary of its mixed reception. If the buzz doesn’t translate into ticket sales, Thamma might find itself leaning on OTT revenue streams sooner than expected.
Why This Matters for Ayushmann & Rashmika
For Ayushmann Khurrana, Thamma arrives at a crucial juncture. The actor, known for offbeat but content-driven films (Article 15, Andhadhun), has had a patchy box office record recently. A successful horror-comedy could help him balance credibility with commercial appeal.
Rashmika Mandanna, meanwhile, is straddling multiple industries. After Animal gave her visibility, Thamma marks another attempt to solidify her Bollywood journey. Her role here isn’t just ornamental — and if executed well, it could silence critics who argue she’s yet to get a truly meaty Hindi film part.
The Shraddha Kapoor Factor
No discussion of Thamma is complete without Shraddha. Despite limited screen time, her presence in the trailer created a mini-wave online. At the launch, Shraddha herself quipped, “Forget international universes. We already have our own desi horror universe.” The internet quickly lapped it up, with memes declaring her the “flag-bearer of horror comedy.”
Ironically, the conversation shifted from “Is Ayushmann’s experiment working?” to “When will Shraddha headline her own spooky universe?” If nothing else, Thamma has reinforced how powerfully cameos can shift a film’s perception.
A Genre Stuck Between Fear & Fun
The broader issue here is Bollywood’s love affair with horror-comedies. While Stree cracked the formula in 2018, few successors have managed to replicate its balance of satire and scares. Thamma’s trailer shows promise but also exposes the genre’s fatigue — audiences are quick to sniff out recycled jump scares and meme-heavy dialogue.
Yet, there’s no denying that trailers don’t always tell the full story. If the film manages to land its punches (or rather, scares), Thamma could silence skeptics. After all, Indian audiences love a good underdog story, and nothing says underdog like a ghost story that makes you laugh before it makes you scream.
Final Word
So, is Thamma’s trailer a hit or miss? The truth lies somewhere in the middle. It’s ambitious, glossy, and star-packed, but also weighed down by the pressure of keeping a “horror-comedy universe” afloat. For now, it has succeeded in doing one thing right: getting everyone to talk about it.
Whether audiences show up in theaters will depend not on how loud the jokes land but on how well the story sticks. Until then, fans and trolls alike have found their playground — and that’s exactly the kind of pre-release chatter filmmakers secretly hope for.
