Amar Kaushik, the visionary filmmaker behind Stree, Bhediya and now the producer of Munjya and Thamma, is busy weaving one of the most ambitious cinematic worlds in Indian cinema — the Maddock Horror Universe with the help of Maddock Films and producer Dinesh Vijan. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Kaushik spoke candidly about how this universe was born, how its characters are being shaped, and why he believes in creating mythology rather than borrowing it.
EXCLUSIVE: Amar Kaushik reveals secrets behind Maddock’s horror universe; says, “We’re crafting our own comics and mythology”
Reflecting on the journey that began with Stree, Kaushik said he always felt deeply connected to his characters. “Stree jab bani banai to mujhe laga yaar Vicky ke saath maine aur khela hi nahi, Jana ke saath aur rehna tha, Bittu ke saath bhaiya ye yaar chale gaye kya meri life se (When Stree was made, I felt like I hadn’t spent enough time with Vicky, Jana, and Bittoo (characters played by Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana). They felt like friends who suddenly left my life),” he recalled. “To mujhe ye tha ki nahi inko bacha ke rakhte hain. Phir wo apne aap universe ki baat hui Deenu aur Deenu ne bola ki universe banate hain. Us tareeke se mujhe laga ki jo bachcha hai, jo young ladka hai, koi bhi young ladki hai jo filmein dekhna shuru kar raha hai, ke unke saath ye characters saath-saath bade honge (That’s when the idea struck — why not keep them alive? Dinesh (Vijan) and I decided to build a universe so that these characters could return and evolve with time with the new generation).”
Kaushik shared that the concept of character evolution is central to Maddock’s storytelling philosophy. “Wo apne saath isko (Characters) leke gaya. Wo bhi unki unki baatein samajh raha hai. Ki wo character kaisa tha? Jab bachche the to hamare saath aisa rehta tha. Jaise hamare liye Shaktimaan tha. You know, Shaktimaan jo tha humko bada maza aata. Shaktimaan dekh rahe hain, ye dekh rahe hain. To hum log school mein, humari pata yahan ka pata nahi lekin main jahan tha wahan tha, hum log bahut baatein karte — Shaktimaan aisa, Shaktimaan ne bola ye nahi karo, wo nahi karo. To mujhe bada maza aata tha yaar. Wo kahin na kahin mujhe laga jab film bana rahe the na, to aapke characters ki, aapke logon ki baat karni is very important. Wo log film ki to baat kar rahe hain but wo jo kirdar hain, wo bahut important hote hain. To mujhe laga unko zinda rakhne ke liye I need to go and hit kids with it — kids should love them (Like, when someone goes from sixth grade to eighth, their character goes along with them, growing with their mentality. The characters understand them too—like when we were kids, Shaktimaan was a big deal for us. We would talk about him—what he did, what he said. That’s why I feel when you create films, your characters and the stories you tell about people are extremely important. It’s not just about films, it’s about keeping these characters alive for kids to love),” he explained.
Talking about the creative process, the filmmaker revealed that the Maddock Horror Universe doesn’t rely on existing literary works or comic lore. “Kyunki hamare saath books nahi hain. Jahan pe books mein likha hua hota hai ki Harry Potter ki books hain, uski books hain, iski books hain. Hamare paas koi books hain nahi, hai na? (We don’t have a Harry Potter or a Marvel handbook guiding us),” Kaushik said. “To humko apni kahaniyaan khud likhni hain, comic khud banani hai, imagine khud karna hai. Aur time aisa nahi hai ki bahut time hai. Ham comics ka kya hota hai ki logon ne padh ke uska review kar diya hota hai, unke dimaag mein hota hai ki accha ye character sabse accha tha. Hum log karte karte ja rahe hain — kitna change hota rehta hai )We’re writing our own comics, our own mythology. Every story, every power, every villain is born from our imagination. There’s no reference — we’re building it all from scratch).”
Describing how he and producer Dinesh Vijan operate, Kaushik shared, “Hum log ka na ek map bana hua hai jo hidden hai. Hum log ye ki ye cheez idhar se idhar karni hai, ye cheez idhar se idhar karni hai, crossover plan banana hai. Ye ek chhota sa ek map hai hamara aur ye bante bante bana hai. Hamesha update hota rehta hai. Ab usmein kya hai ki bada fascinating hai — matlab aapko main bolun ki aapko kuch-kuch cheezon mein na jaise kisi ko match karne mein bada maza aata hai, equation solve hoti hai to khush ho jaata hai (We have a hidden map that keeps evolving — we decide which character crosses over, who connects where. But we never force it. It’s constantly being made and updated—never fixed. It keeps evolving. It’s fascinating, like for some, it’s fun to match things up, solve equations, and feel happy when things click).”
With Thamma extending the lore further, Kaushik’s Maddock Horror Universe continues to grow stronger — blending Indian folklore, humour, and horror in a homegrown mythology that audiences are embracing with open arms.
Also Read: SCOOP: Rs. 20 crores spent on the GRAND Bhediya scene in Thamma; was shot under Amar Kaushik’s supervision
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