Thamma, directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, is the fifth installment of the Maddock comedy horror franchise, following Stree, Stree 2, Munjya, and Bhediya. The film introduces us to Taadka, who was a Betaal (basically a vampire from Indian folklore, also spelled as Veetala), who lived peacefully with her community in the deep woods. Things become a little complicated after she crosses paths with a human with whom she eventually falls in love. So let’s find out what happened in Thamma, and how Taadka disturbed the balance of the world after she fell in love with the human.
Spoiler Alert
Why was Yakshasan held captive?
In 323 BC, when Alexander the Great had invaded India, his army was stopped by a group of Betaal. The Betaal drank human blood, but as time passed by, this activity came to be prohibited by the community. They still consumed blood, but it was usually taken from animals or from deceased humans—the latter preserved and aged like fine whiskey, regarded as a rare and exquisite delicacy. Yakshasan the Betaal, who had killed Alexander the Great, did not abide by the new set of rules. The other members of the community believed that to preserve the delicate balance between humans and their own kind, they had to distance themselves from them. The first Betaal was created to drink the blood of a demon named Raktabija. Raktabija, a demon blessed by Lord Shiva, had been granted a boon that every drop of his blood that touched the ground would give birth to another Raktabija, and the Betaal had to stop that from happening. What I mean to say is that while the Betaal might have turned dark and sinister over time, they were originally brought into the mortal world for a sacred, noble cause.
The Betaal had witnessed the horrors of 1947—the communal riots, the hatred, the division, and the unimaginable bloodshed of the Partition. It was during that time that they decided to stop consuming human blood, believing that the poison in humans could be passed on to them. When Yakshasan dared to go against these laws, he was imprisoned by his own kind. The only way for him to break free was if a Betaal consumed human blood and turned at least one mortal into one of them. For years, nothing changed, and Yakshasan remained chained. But fate had other plans. One day, a Betaal named Taadka fell in love with a human boy, and that single act of forbidden love set off a chain of events that unleashed chaos and destruction beyond imagination.
How did Taadka save Alok’s life?
Alok was a journalist, and his peers considered him to be a very timid man. One day while camping in the woods with his friends, Alok decided to go deep inside the village and take some selfies to post on his social media account. That entire act turned into a nightmare for him when a bear appeared out of nowhere. Alok’s life was saved by Taadka, who he had no clue was a Betaal. It was prohibited to make any sort of contact with a human in Taadka’s community. Her community leader was the one who had taken Yakshasan captive. Once the community members got to know what Taadka was up to, she was summoned in front of the leader, and it was decided that Alok was to be held captive and put in the same cave as Yakshasan. Alok was petrified when he saw Yakshasan for the first time. Alok wouldn’t have survived for long had Taadka not come to his rescue. She helped Alok escape and, together with him, went to his house. Alok’s parents found Taadka a bit odd, and in fact, Alok’s father was pretty sure that she was up to something. One time Alok took Taadka to a local pub, where a few guys started troubling her. Alok took Taadka and left from there, but those guys followed them. The moment Taadka saw them assault Alok, she couldn’t stop her impulses. Taadka taught those guys a lesson, and that was one big blunder she committed. After Taadka left the scene, Veeran, one of the community members who was searching for Taadka, went and killed those guys. Inspector Yadav, a Betaal himself, came to meet Taadka and told her that the guys she’d entered into an altercation with didn’t survive. It was hard for Taadka to believe that the boys had lost their lives, but she believed that Inspector Yadav was telling the truth. Yadav asked Taadka to leave the city and go back to the woods, as that was the only way through which the balance between humans and Beetaal could be restored. Taadka was on her way in a bus when Alok came along in his car and pleaded with her to not leave him. Alok lost control of his vehicle, and he met with an accident. Taadka realized that Alok would succumb to his injuries. So, as a last resort, she bit him, and Alok got converted into a Betaal. The news of a Betaal biting a human, drinking the blood, and converting him spread like wildfire. Taadka had never wanted to break the law of her land, but she loved Alok, and she didn’t want to lose him.
How did Alok become the leader of Taadka’s community?
After Alok was converted into a Betaal, he also had an encounter with Bhediya (Bhaskar Sharma, who was a werewolf), who needed a Betaal’s blood in order to regain his power. Alok managed to survive, though Bhaskar was able to suck a drop of his blood, and even that small amount made him much stronger. Taadka’s community leader had to release Yakshasan from captivity, as the vow of not harming humans was broken, even though the intention behind it was to save Alok and not kill him. Yakshasan became the Thamma, i.e., the leader of the community, and he ordered Taadka to be put in captivity.
In Thamma’s ending, Alok finally arrived at the scene to save his beloved’s life. Even though Alok and Taadka tried their level best, they were no match for the powerful Yakshasan. The sinister Betaal would have taken Alok’s life and unleashed a violent rampage if not for an unexpected miracle that left everyone present utterly stunned. The Betaal community prayed to a deity, which I believed was one of the incarnations of the goddess Durga from Hindu mythology. Alok was down and out when the deity blessed him with a “heart.” The Betaal had no hearts, and it was said the one Betaal who had a heart would become their true leader. Alok regained his strength, and he was unanimously accepted as the new Thamma by the community. Alok put Yakshasan back in captivity, and the latter was frustrated beyond measure.
What Happens In The Mid-Credits Scene?
Alok and Taadka’s moment of triumph was short-lived when a terrifying, headless figure—its molten, lava-like body glowing with fury—appeared out of nowhere and aided Yakshasan’s escape. I believe that creature was none other than Sarkata, the demon from Stree 2. It’s possible that Sarkata had found a way to resurrect himself, or perhaps what we saw was his descendant—the character portrayed by Akshay Kumar in Stree 2. At the end of Stree 2, we saw the urn containing lava that destroyed Sarkata’s head being delivered to the descendant’s house. When Chandrabhan’s descendant opened it, he was transformed into a vengeful spirit. So, it’s entirely possible that Akshay Kumar’s character took another form and managed to revive his dreaded ancestor.
Yakshasan, in many ways, represents a modern-day Raktabija, and the Betaal warned Alok that he would have to grow much stronger to face him in the future. Just as the Bhediya needed Betaal’s blood to regain his power, the Betaals too could become more formidable by drinking the blood of a werewolf. The closing scene of Bhediya hinted at this connection—showing Bhaskar, in his werewolf form, lurking near the Betaal settlement. This all but confirms that an epic confrontation between Alok and Bhaskar is bound to happen. I also believe that Maddock’s upcoming film Shakti Shalini will overlap with this expanding supernatural universe. The reunion of Sarkata and Yakshasan implies that the residents of Chanderi—Vicky and his friends—are far from safe. Sarkata will undoubtedly seek revenge, which may be why he allied himself with Yakshasan. Both demons likely saw in each other the potential to fulfill their dark ambitions. Meanwhile, Yakshasan’s quest to raise an army may see Inspector Yadav playing a crucial role in shaping what’s to come.
