Thamma — Official Trailer
Tip: watch the trailer above for a quick feel of the film’s visuals, tone and the chemistry between Ayushmann and Rashmika.
Story & Summary
Thamma is a sweeping supernatural romance that positions itself at the intersection of folklore, destiny and modern family drama. At its core is a simple, potent premise (summer — two destined lovers battle supernatural forces, family ties, and nature itself to defend their forbidden romance) that the screenplay expands into a myth-infused love story. Director Aditya Sarpotdar leans into the visual language of rural mysticism and cinematic lyricism to craft a world where ancient prophecies, weathered rituals and human stubbornness collide.
The narrative follows a pair of young lovers (portrayed by Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna) whose bond becomes the fulcrum for a larger cultural and supernatural conflict involving land, lineage and an old entity whose influence has shaped the village's fate for generations. Nawazuddin Siddiqui anchors the third pillar of the story as a weathered elder — a character who is both witness and antagonist, torn between protecting tradition and seeing a new future. The film is written by Niren Bhatt, Arun Fulara and Suresh Mathew, who stitch together mythic beats and grounded human detail.
Released in early October 2025, Thamma has already generated discussion for its bold attempt to adapt Indian supernatural folklore into a mainstream cinematic form while maintaining commercial accessibility. This review unpacks the film's strengths and weaknesses across story structure, performances, music, cinematography, themes and cultural resonance. If you’re searching “Thamma movie review” or “Thamma review Ayushmann Rashmika,” read on for a deep, SEO-friendly critique and an editorial verdict.
Detailed Review & Analysis
Thamma aims to be both an intimate love story and an expansive, mythic drama. In the contemporary landscape of Indian cinema, where genre-blending has become increasingly common, Thamma’s attempt to marry romance with an environmental/familial supernatural conflict is noteworthy. Rather than positioning itself purely as a commercial romance or a horror-thriller, it occupies a deliberate middle ground: accessible enough for mainstream audiences, yet textured enough for viewers who care about craft and cultural specificity.
Plot & Screenplay — (Spoiler-Free)
The screenplay follows an archetypal structure: two lovers (from different social or familial alignments) who fall in love in a setting that is itself teeming with unresolved histories. The first act patiently establishes the village rhythms, introduces the prophecy of the eponymous “Thamma” spirit and lays out the stakes: the lovers’ union is believed to awaken a long-dormant curse. The second act escalates tension as small, uncanny events accumulate — weather anomalies, whispered rumors and symbolic omens — and the lovers’ commitment is tested both by family pressure and supernatural intervention. The third act resolves with a visually striking confrontation between human agency and ancestral forces.
Writers Niren Bhatt, Arun Fulara and Suresh Mathew show skill at crafting memorable set pieces — a midnight river ritual, a monsoon chase sequence, and a sequence in which the village’s old myths are reenacted as communal theatre. The screenplay’s strengths lie in its ability to root fantastical elements in human emotion: we care about the lovers not because of destiny alone but because their interactions feel lived-in and specific. That said, the script occasionally leans on exposition to explain folklore mechanics that might have been served better through imagery or editing.
Direction — Aditya Sarpotdar’s Visual & Emotional Strategy
Aditya Sarpotdar, known for balancing commercial tones with nuanced character work, approaches Thamma with a confident visual grammar. He allows long, lyrical moments to breathe — a quiet shot of the lovers on a rain-slicked terrace, an extended close-up during a ritual — and he stages larger sequences with an eye for rhythm and composition. Sarpotdar’s direction privileges feeling over shock: Thamma’s supernatural elements are rarely played for cheap scares; they’re presented as natural disruptions to a world that already contains fissures.
What Sarpotdar handles particularly well is performance direction. He extracts layered, emotionally resonant turns from his leads (more on those below) and maintains a tonal balance between the intimate and the epic. Where the direction is less successful is pacing: a few mid-film passages sag under the weight of repeated ritual imagery, and the film's third act rushes certain character resolutions that earlier acts had carefully gestured toward.
Performances — Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna & Nawazuddin Siddiqui
The film’s emotional core rests on the chemistry between Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna. Ayushmann brings a grounded sincerity to his role — a young man shaped by duty, humor and quiet yearning. His performance feels lived-in rather than performative, which is essential for a film where small, private moments are the currency of the romance. Rashmika is radiant and raw; she invests her character with a stubbornness that reads as both survival instinct and romantic loyalty. Together, their scenes are often the film’s most affecting.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as the village elder caught between tradition and change, gives the film necessary weight. He avoids caricature, offering instead a humane portrayal of someone who understands the cost of both resistance and compromise. His delivery of a few key monologues about lineage and loss lands with the quiet power that only an experienced actor can bring.
Supporting roles — villagers, relatives, and the occasional outsider — are well-cast overall. The ensemble works as a chorus of perspectives: some characters are archetypal (the hard-headed patriarch, the skeptical cousin), but their interactions with the main pair are convincingly textured and contribute to the film’s social realism.
Music, Songs & Sound Design
Music is where Thamma often hits its most affecting notes. The film’s soundtrack blends folk instruments with modern orchestration, producing themes that are at once specific to the film’s rural setting and cinematic enough for a mass audience. Melodies recur at key emotional beats — a lullaby-like motif for the lovers, a low-pulse drone for supernatural sequences — giving the score structural coherence.
Sound design complements the music by using environmental textures as emotional signifiers: creaking doors, monsoon thunder, a distant animal call — these sounds are mixed with care so that silence becomes as expressive as noise. The result is an aural environment that supports the film’s shifting moods: tenderness, dread, defiance.
Cinematography & Visual Design
Thamma’s cinematography frames rural landscapes as both beautiful and uncanny. Wide frames capture the village’s topography; the camera often lingers on natural elements — a banyan tree, a riverbank, a crop field — which are then reframed as mythic loci. Color grading favors warm earth tones during human moments and colder, desaturated hues when supernatural forces intrude. The visual palette tracks emotional temperature, with the filmmakers using light and shadow to suggest memory and menace.
Production design deserves praise for feeling tactile: handcrafted props, textured costumes and tactile set dressing suggest a world with history. The rituals and costumes feel researched rather than invented: details like a specific wrap pattern or a ceremonial bell become story elements in their own right.
Themes — Fate, Consent & Ecology
More than a simple romance, Thamma engages with layered themes. At its heart is the idea of consent — not only between lovers but also between humans and the land they inhabit. The film interrogates whether ancestral claims (to place, ritual, authority) justify the suppression of present-day choices. It also raises environmental questions: the supernatural force at the center of Thamma is intimately tied to the land, and the story suggests that disrespect for ecological balance can awaken old, vengeful energies.
Another theme is storytelling itself. Thamma shows how myths are transmitted, adapted and weaponized: prophecy functions as social currency for those who benefit from it, and the film becomes a meta-commentary on the way communities use stories to enforce boundaries.
Pacing & Structure
Pacing is Thamma’s most divisive element. The first and third acts are compelling, but the middle section sometimes loses momentum to repetitive ritual imagery and expository scenes that retell information the audience already understands. If you appreciate films that luxuriate in mood and texture, these passages will likely feel deliberate; if you prefer leaner plotting, they may come across as indulgent.
What Works
- Strong lead performances and magnetic chemistry between Ayushmann and Rashmika.
- Thoughtful direction from Aditya Sarpotdar that respects atmosphere and cultural texture.
- Memorable music and immersive sound design that heighten emotional beats.
- Beautiful cinematography and production design that make the village feel like a character.
- Ambitious thematic concerns — consent, inheritance, ecological balance — that add depth.
What Could Be Better
- Mid-film pacing slows under repeated ritual sequences and scenes heavy on exposition.
- Some supporting characters could use deeper arcs for fuller emotional payoff.
- The final act resolves certain moral questions too quickly after careful buildup.
Deep Dive & Key Scenes — (Mild Spoilers)
If you don’t mind mild spoilers: a standout scene occurs during a monsoon night when the lovers defy a village lock-down and cross a flooded river to reach a sacred grove. The sequence is stage-managed with kinetic long takes, and the sound design turns rain into a character that both hides and reveals. Another memorable moment is Nawazuddin’s confession scene in which he reveals a family secret that reframes the “Thamma” legend; this moment is small in duration but large in consequence because it humanizes an otherwise stoic elder.
The climactic confrontation blends practical effects and restrained CGI to place human faces close to mythic forces. Instead of a spectacle-only showpiece, the confrontation foregrounds intimate choices: who sacrifices what, and for whom. These choices give the film an emotional landing that is earned rather than manipulative.
Performances — Detailed Notes
Ayushmann's expressive restraint is one of the film’s emotional engines. He avoids melodrama and instead registers every small fracture and reconciliation. Rashmika’s performance is a revelation in controlled fury; she harnesses a disarming vulnerability that becomes the film’s moral compass. Nawazuddin is, as always, a quiet dynamo — his presence brings an older moral vocabulary to the screen, and the film benefits whenever he occupies a scene.
Music & Songs — Detailed Notes
Standout tracks include a lullaby motif that recurs during flashbacks and a more immediate, percussive track used in ritual scenes. The film’s songs are inserted organically: they function as narrative beats rather than as interruptions for commercial-style numbers. This restraint helps maintain tonal unity.
Direction & Visual Flourishes — Detailed Notes
Sarpotdar’s choice to favor longer takes and fewer edits in several sequences enhances the film’s immersion. When the camera moves, it often follows characters with a choreography that makes everyday gestures feel ritualized. These choices are why Thamma’s quieter moments stay in the mind: the film rewards patient viewing.
Verdict Summary
Thamma is a distinctly ambitious film that marries romantic storytelling to mythic concern. It is not without flaws — pacing and occasional narrative shortcuts reduce its potential — but its virtues are many: brilliant lead performances, evocative music, striking cinematography and a director willing to let the film breathe. For viewers who appreciate visual lyricism and emotionally resonant folklore, Thamma is a recommended theatrical experience. For audiences seeking a lean, plot-driven supernatural thriller, temper expectations for the film’s more meditative stretches.
⭐ Final Rating (editorial): 3.8 / 5
Recommendation: Watch Thamma in a theater for the soundscape and cinematography; stream later for repeat viewing to catch the film’s symbolic details. If you’re looking specifically for a Bollywood supernatural romance that prioritizes mood and moral complexity, Thamma delivers.
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Where to Watch
Thamma opened theatrically in India. For the latest availability, check official distribution announcements and popular streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, etc.). Streaming windows typically follow a theatrical window of several weeks to months depending on distribution deals — check the film's official channels for confirmation.
Thamma (2025) – संक्षिप्त हिंदी सारांश
Thamma एक भावनात्मक और मायावी प्रेमकहानी है जिसमें दो प्रेमी (Ayushmann Khurrana और Rashmika Mandanna) अपनी मोहब्बत को बचाने के लिए पारिवारिक परंपरा और एक प्राचीन अधात्मिक शक्ति से जूझते हैं। फिल्म में पारिवारिक बंधन, भूमि के साथ संबंध और नैतिक चुनावों के सवाल उठाए जाते हैं। Nawazuddin Siddiqui द्वारा निभाई गई भूमिका फिल्म को गहराई देती है। दृश्यात्मक सौंदर्य, संगीतमयी स्कोर और प्रभावशाली अभिनय इस फिल्म को खास बनाते हैं।
