What the Critics Said vs What Audiences Loved About Thamma

The Vampire-Comedy Thamma Bites into the Box Office Despite Mixed Media Reviews.

What the Critics Said vs What Audiences Loved About Thamma

Mumbai, Tuesday, October 28, 2025 — Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU) has brought us a new film. It is the much-awaited vampire romantic-comedy, Thamma. The film stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna. It hit the theatres during the lucrative Diwali week. The movie has crossed the Rs 95 crore mark in its first week. This shows a big success at the ticket windows.

However, the film’s journey has been an interesting one. It highlights a big gap. The gap is between the film critics’ reviews and the audience’s strong love. This gap is not new in Bollywood. But for a franchise like MHCU, it tells a big story.

The Critics’ Bite: High Expectations and Nitpicks

A Rocky Start: Lack of Freshness and Weak Villain

Top film critics had very high expectations for Thamma. This was mostly because of the huge success of Stree 2 just before this. Many critics gave the film a decent, but not a brilliant, rating—mostly 3 to 4 stars out of 5. But they were quick to point out the problems.

• The Problem with the Villain: A major complaint was about Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character, Yakshasan. The critics felt his role was confusing. They said the character lacked depth and that a great actor was wasted. One review called him “confusing and lacking depth.”
• Forced Comedy and Pacing: Some critics felt that the movie was trying too hard to be funny. They felt the first half dragged a little. One expert said the film had a “forced third-class sense of humour.” They also said the climax was stretched too much. It could have been shorter.
• Rashmika’s Character Sketch: Critics had mixed feelings about Rashmika Mandanna’s character, Tadaka. Some said her performance was excellent. Others felt her “urban, revealing costume” did not suit a forest-dwelling Betaal. Her acting was called “flat at times.”
• Plot Over-Focus on Romance: Many critics felt the story focused too much on the love angle of Alok (Ayushmann) and Tadaka (Rashmika). They believed the world-building and the Betaal lore were ignored. They thought the story could have been explored much better.

The critics agreed that the film had strong technical points. They praised the visual effects (VFX), the background score, and the cinematography. They said the film was visually sharp and technically good.

The Audience’s Love: A Perfect Diwali Treat

Word-of-Mouth Creates a Box Office Hit

While the critics were busy with their analysis, the common audience had already made up their minds. The public word-of-mouth was strong and very positive right from Day 1.

• People called Thamma a “perfect Diwali watch” and a “total crowd-pleaser.” This positive buzz helped the film secure a strong opening of Rs 24 crore.
• Entertainment Value is King: For the audience, the film was a complete masala entertainer. It mixed humour, romance, and some scary moments.
• A viewer called the film a “rollercoaster of emotions.” They did not worry about the small mistakes that critics saw.
• Praise for Performances and Chemistry: The audiences loved the lead pair. Ayushmann Khurrana was praised for his “career-best act.” He balanced comedy and fear easily.
• Rashmika Mandanna received special mention for her “natural and heartfelt performance.” Their on-screen chemistry was a big hit with the youth.

The Power of Comedy and Cameos: The witty dialogues and one-liners were a major plus point for the viewers. People also enjoyed the surprise cameos from other characters of the MHCU, like Jana (Abhishek Banerjee) and Bhediya (Varun Dhawan). These cameos brought the house down, adding extra fun.

Family-Friendly Horror-Comedy: Unlike the darker tone of some other films, Thamma was seen as a family-friendly movie. This made it ideal for the festive season. The general public saw the film as an engaging mix of emotion, drama, and surprises.

Box Office Speaks Louder than Reviews

The box office collections show the audience’s verdict clearly.

Day	Box Office
Day 1 [21 October 2025]	₹24 Crore
Day 2 [22 October 2025]	₹18.6 Crore
Day 3 [23 October 2025]	₹13 Crore
Day 4 [24 October 2025]	₹10 Crore
Day 5 [25 October 2025]	₹13.1 Crore
Day 6 [26 October 2025]	₹12.6 Crore
Day 7 [27 October 2025]	₹4.3 Crore
Total	₹95.6 Crore

The film collected Rs 95.6 crore in just seven days. This means it has already surpassed the opening week collections of Stree and Bhediya. This clearly shows that the audience gave it a big thumbs-up, ignoring the critics’ concerns about a stretched plot or a weak villain. For the audience, the film was a complete package of fun and entertainment.

The Final Verdict: Entertainment Over Logic

The story of Thamma is a classic example. It shows that sometimes, what the critics want is different from what the audience loves. Critics look for a perfect script, strong logic, and a solid villain. The mass audience only looks for three things: a good time, laughs, and great performances.

Thamma delivered on these three points perfectly. The film is still short of the Rs 100 crore club. It needs only Rs 4.45 crore more. With no major competition this week, the film is expected to cross this milestone soon. It has been proven that in Bollywood, word-of-mouth from the public is the real king.