Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana is set to make his debut in the coveted Diwali holiday release slot with his upcoming horror-comedy “Thama”, marking a major milestone in his decade-long career.
The film, produced by Maddock Films and directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, will hit theatres during the Diwali this year, with the release date confirmed as October 20, according to Variety.
“This is the biggest release of my career and I’m really eager to spread joy, happiness and laughter with the entire country with ‘Thama,’” Khurrana said. “The fact that my film could be one of the reasons for people to have a great festive period feels really surreal.”
Known for his offbeat and socially conscious roles, Khurrana has steadily climbed the ladder to become one of Hindi cinema’s most dependable leading men. His entry into the Diwali slot — traditionally dominated by big-ticket entertainers starring A-list actors — is being seen as a sign of his rising commercial stature.
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“For me, Diwali is about togetherness, it is about family and it is about having the best community experience by spending time with your friends,” the Vicky Donor actor said.
“I’m a big movie buff and every year, I have a ritual to go to the theatres with my family and watch a film on Diwali. We have so much fun together and it makes me so happy to see scores of people thronging to the theatres to watch these big releases.”
“Thama” also features a strong ensemble cast, including Rashmika Mandanna, Paresh Rawal, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The screenplay is written by Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew, and Arun Fulara. Producers Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik are backing the film under the Maddock Films banner.
The film also marks the launch of Maddock’s ambitious horror-comedy cinematic universe, a genre the studio popularized with the 2018 hit “Stree”. In 2024, Maddock continued its genre dominance with “Stree 2”, “Munjya”, and “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya”, and earlier this year, it unveiled an eight-film interconnected slate to release over the next four years.