**Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 (2024) Becomes Highest Bollywood Grosser; Director Remains Humble**
Amar Kaushik’s *Stree 2* (2024) has emerged as the highest Bollywood grosser of all time. Despite this massive success, the director remains humble and down-to-earth, just as he was when his debut directorial *Stree* became a surprise super-hit. The horror comedy universe, which began with the 2018 flick, has now scaled new heights.
The recently released *Thamma*, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Rashmika Mandanna, is the latest addition to this universe. It has been warmly received by audiences, evident from its strong first two-day box office figures.
In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Amar Kaushik opened up about producing *Thamma*, the process of connecting characters within the universe, and much more.
—
### Exclusive: Amar Kaushik’s Masterclass in Universe-Building & Censor Cuts
**From Linking *Stree* to *Thamma* to Planting Secret Easter Eggs – ‘Pitaji’ of MHCU**
Amar Kaushik delivers a masterclass in universe-building and breaks his silence on censor cuts, saying, “‘Main tumhe azaadi doonga’ was uttered by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for a greater cause; CBFC’s point was valid.”
—
### Energetic Dancing Cameos – A Signature of Amar Kaushik
Let’s start with your energetic, dancing cameo in the song ‘Poison Baby’! You always have such cameos, even in your earlier films.
*(Laughs)* It all started with the first *Stree*. I have this habit of enacting scenes for the actors and insist they follow along the lines of my way of doing it. For the beggar scene, it was Rajkummar Rao’s suggestion that I act. He told me, “Tu hi yeh role karega!” During the *Kamariya* song shoot, we were all in high spirits, so I decided to jump in. It was fun and the film became a hit, so everyone insisted I keep doing such cameos. That’s why I appeared in *Bala* (2019), *Bhediya* (2022), *Stree 2*, and now, *Thamma*.
In *Stree*, I appear thrice actually! I played the beggar, danced in the song *Kamariya*, and I’m also the person sitting next to Rajkummar and Shraddha in the auto rickshaw scene. I had to look at the monitor during shooting and by chance, my face got captured in the shot—it got approved, so it stayed.
—
### The Audience Responds Positively to *Thamma*
Coming to *Thamma*, what has the feedback been like?
It’s been great. The world of the universe is gradually connecting, which was always our goal—to ensure characters from different films bump into each other. The audience is loving it. For example, my show got a great reaction when Janardhan aka JD (Abhishek Banerjee) appeared on screen. We didn’t even know he was in the film, only expecting Elvis Karim Prabhakar (Sathyaraj), who was revealed in the trailer. Honestly, I would have preferred not to show Sathyaraj at all, but a little glimpse was necessary to excite the audience.
—
### Choosing Aditya Sarpotdar to Direct *Thamma*
What gave you and Dinesh Vijan the confidence that Aditya Sarpotdar could helm *Thamma*? Was the decision taken after he directed *Munjya*?
Yes, absolutely. We liked how Aditya executed *Munjya*, and that’s when I shared the idea of *Thamma* with him. He loved it and came on board. I can’t direct every film myself—it would make them all look similar. Having different directors add their own unique touch is important. The characters belong to me, so I know how they’ll react in films not directed by me, but thankfully Aditya understood my vision as he’s very sharp, cool-headed, and a great person. These factors motivated us to entrust him with *Thamma*, and he has done a fantastic job.
—
### Production Dynamics with Dinesh Vijan
How do you and Dinesh Vijan divide production responsibilities?
Dinoo is my bouncing board—I share all my ideas with him, even the crazy ones. For *Thamma*, I envisioned *Bhediya* becoming bigger than before, and discussed how to scale up with different twists in the story. He tells me to take the call if I think it’s right for the universe. He’s like the ‘Dada ji’, and I’m the ‘Pitaji’ (laughs) of this universe.
It feels like a family where everyone fulfills their part responsibly. I make sure we remember there have been four films before in the universe and many more to come. So, we insert breadcrumbs carefully by telling directors, “Add this thing, make this character say this dialogue, as it will be relevant later.” We have a roadmap and basic idea of where the story will go next, though sometimes we realize we missed a point—then we add it next time. It’s like a puzzle we’re trying to unravel.
—
### Casting Process and Collaborations
Tell us about the casting process.
Ayushmann Khurrana and I have been working on this story since the Covid times. I was originally going to direct *Thamma* and would visit Ayushmann’s house to narrate it. His daughter heard the story and loved it—I told Ayushmann, “This is my audience!” So he was involved right from the start.
The idea evolved after *Stree 2*, with additional elements added. Nawazuddin Siddiqui came on board because I wanted a villain who isn’t physically scary but can still instill fear. I’ve wanted to work with him for a long time. I told him upfront that the role isn’t very long, but promised major relevance for his character in the future, to which he immediately agreed.
Paresh Rawal also joined instantly. After watching *Stree 2*, he came out of the theatre and called me, saying, “You have created such a great universe. Consider actors like us too.” I explained that *Stree 2* had to retain the same characters, but assured him of a role in this universe. Twenty days later, I sent him the narration for *Thamma* and he loved it.
Rashmika Mandanna was signed as she perfectly suited the role.
—
### Signature Humor and Memes in the Films
I couldn’t stop laughing when Nawazuddin’s character sings ‘Panchhi Banoon’. This has the Amar Kaushik trademark — you like adding such moments. The ‘O Huzoor’ bit in *Bhediya* was also a big hit. Jokes like Paresh telling ‘Ayushmann Bhava’ to Ayushmann and Nawazuddin joking ‘Kya Betaal banega re tu’ get huge laughs (laughs).
I love this kind of humor. Writer Niren Bhatt and I think alike—we enjoy giving fun, twisted meanings to songs or dialogues.
Some people complain that meme culture is entering films, but memes are a part of our lives now. It’s a great way to connect with youth and makes the film a product of today. Twenty years later, when people watch *Thamma* or *Stree*, they’ll say, “Oh, this meme was huge back then.”
Of course, we’re raising bigger issues too. In *Thamma*, the Betaals have stopped consuming human blood because “Insaano ke khoon mein zeher aa gaya hai.” It’s a deep thought but we balance it with entertainment.
Choosing which song to use is always a challenge. For example, everyone had reservations about the ‘O Huzoor’ joke in *Bhediya*, but I told them, “Chup chap raho. Yeh work karega” (laughs), and I was confident it would.
—
### Censor Board Cuts: Handling the Changes Gracefully
Do you feel sad when the Censors play spoilsport?
There was a dialogue in the film when Alok (Ayushmann Khurrana) is trapped in a dungeon. Yakshasan wants to consume his blood and says, ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi dunga.’ The CBFC made us change this.
Did it dishearten you?
Not at all. The CBFC has a responsibility. They reasoned that the dialogue was originally said by the legendary freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for a greater cause, and we were using it differently. I found their point valid and tweaked the dialogue. The new version, ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aiyaashi karata hoon,’ actually got more laughs.
—
**Also Read:**
– [Thamma Box Office Collection]
– [Thamma Movie Review]
– [Bollywood News Live Updates]
—
*Amar Kaushik continues to innovate and evolve the horror-comedy universe with his humility intact, delighting audiences with engaging characters, clever humor, and an interconnected storytelling tapestry that promises exciting chapters ahead.*
https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/exclusive-linking-stree-thamma-planting-secret-easter-eggs-pitaji-mhcu-amar-kaushik-delivers-masterclass-universe-building-breaks-silence-censor-cuts-main-tumhe-azaadi-doo/