Aditya Sarpotdar opens up on the pressure, responsibility, and creative discipline behind directing Rajinikanth-starrer Thamma, praising Maddock Films for their smart production approach.
Published: November 4, 2025 12:42 PM IST
Thamma, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is having a solid run at the box office. Thamma, reportedly made on a budget of Rs 140 crore, is aiming for the Rs 200 crore mark. The makers of Thamma have already recovered their investments. Filmmaker and costume designer Aditya Sarpotdar, in an exclusive conversation with India.com, revealed that the pressure of making Thamma was on his mind. At the same time, the rest of the things were taken care of by production house Maddock. Aditya revealed that directing Thamma came with a certain responsibility after his breakthrough film Munjya, another horror comedy backed by Maddock with new faces.
Aditya Sarpotdar on Directing Thamma
In an exclusive conversation, Aditya Sarpotdar told India.com that while directing Thamma, When we were making Munjya, we never thought it would get such a response in terms of numbers. As directors, we want our film to reach as many people as possible. One thing I learned from it was — never make a film with expectations. Treat it as a film; you can never predict its outcome. When I started Thamma, I thought, if I didn’t think about it during Munjya, why should I now?
(Jabhi Munjya bana rahe thei hum, kabhi socha nahi tha ki Munjya will get this kind of response, in terms of numbers. As a director, hum chahte hai ki humara film maximum number of log tak jaaye. Ismain se ek seekh yeh mila tha ki kisi expectation ke sath mat banao film. Film ko film samajh ke banao. You can never predict the outcome of a film. Maine jab Thamma banane ki shuruaat ki, toh maine yeh socha ki, ‘Agar Munjya banate waqt mai yeh nahi soch raha tha, toh Thamma banate waqt kyun sochu?’)
Aditya Sarpotdar on Making a Big-Budget Film like Thamma
Aditya further gave his insights on making a big-budget film like Thamma proved to be a success for him, and how other companies should follow a model that can eventually benefit the entertainment industry. Aditya revealed, “Both the films were huge for me. When we shot Munjya, it was small in setup, scale, actors, and casting, and its scope was that of a mid-budget film. Thamma’s release date was already announced for Diwali 2025. For me, Thamma wasn’t pressure, it was a responsibility — a big film with big actors.”
(Ek farak in dono mai yehi tha, aur yeh bhot bada farak tha mere liye. Jab Munjya shoot kar rahe thei, the film was small in terms of setup, scale, actors, and casting, aur uske scope mid-budget ka film tha. Aur Thamma ka announcement date pehle hi announce kar diya tha ki yeh Diwali 2025 mai release hogi. Thamma mere liye pressure nahi tha, responsibility tha, badi film bana rahe hai, bade actors hai.)
Aditya Sarpotdar Praises Maddock Production Team
Aditya praised Maddock for their discipline and professionalism. For the unversed, Aditya initially worked as a producer with Maddock. “The good thing about Maddock is that, since I’ve also worked as a producer, I know how disciplined they are, especially with budgets. Maddock allocates budgets sensibly for films like Thamma and thoroughly reviews the entire script. I don’t believe in overspending, but I ensured that Maddock and I were on the same page for the film. A director, producer, and production house need to be aligned. It feels great when I know my film can recover its budget — Maddock’s team manages this very smartly, and their model has worked well. I hope other companies also follow this model.”
(Maddock ki achi baat yeh hai ki, kyunki maine as a producer kaam kiya hai, Maddock works in discipline, especially when it comes to budget. Maddock sensibly Thamma jaise film ko budget deta hai, and when it comes to script, voh poori script ko dekhta hai. I do not believe in overspending, but I made sure Maddock and I are on the same page for the film. Yeh bhot zaroori hojata hai, ek director, producer aur production house ke liye ki voh ek page pe ho. This is very nice, jab mai jaanta hu mera film budget ko recover kar sakti hai, and yeh bhot smartly Maddock ki team karti hai, and yeh model unke liye bhot acha chala hai, and I hope baaki companies bhi aise models ko follow karein.)
