Last Updated:November 06, 2025, 08:29 IST

Thamma director Aditya Sarpotdar responds to criticism over the film’s item songs and says they are part of the story, not just add-ons to the vampire world.

Thamma director reacts to item song criticism in the film.

Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna’s Thamma may have crossed Rs 124 crore worldwide, but much of the conversation online has been about the film’s bold musical choices. The latest addition to Dinesh Vijan’s growing horror-comedy universe has three item songs – and that has sparked a debate. Director Aditya Sarpotdar, who previously delivered the hit Munjya, says there is a clear reason those songs exist in his vampire world.

He told SCREEN that the criticism feels misplaced when the same audience has celebrated similar songs earlier in the franchise. “All these things are marketing assets that lead you into a film. What counts at the end of the day is what the film is. When you sit through a film, what do you get out of it? For me, when these songs come into the film, I want them there because I know my story unfolds there. At some point, the fact that you feel that the film is only known for its item numbers is unfortunate, because that’s not what the film is known for. That was never the intention.”

Sarpotdar pointed out that songs like Taras in Munjya and Aaj Ki Raat were embraced by the audience without question. “You also can’t deny the fact that this is the same audience who has watched my earlier films, say Munjya, where Taras became a massive hit, right? It’s the same audience who loved Aaj Ki Raat, right? Nobody had a problem there. It’s just that now, because you see it happening a lot more, you feel it’s a problem. And I say, okay, you can have an opinion and you don’t like it. I’ll take it in my stride. But maybe what’s also happening is: in a vampire film, you need a certain sense of glitz, glamour, and madness. Here, we had the chance to do that.”

For him, the universe itself demanded a louder, flashier vibe. “In Munjya, if I had put three item numbers, there was no chance to do that, the world is different. But here, you have a sense of a world that is intriguing, marvellous, glamorous, a little crazy, in the sense of what vampires could be. Maybe that’s how we went ahead thinking about it.”

Still, Sarpotdar is happy that audiences didn’t stay away. “But what’s happened is that even before the film released, it got branded as an ‘item number film’, and that, I think, is a very typical mindset. Because you have accepted the same songs wholeheartedly and enjoyed them earlier. Now suddenly you have a problem with them. It’s a little odd. But okay, I understand. And I am glad that the same people also came and watched the film. People have seen the film. So as long as you see the film, that’s the point.”

Up next from the horror-comedy universe: Shakti Shalini, led by Aneet Padda.

Shreyanka Mazumdar

Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring…Read More

Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring… Read More