Maddock Horror Comedy Universe
The Maddock Horror Comedy Universe is an Indian shared universe consisting of Hindi-language supernatural comedy horror films created and produced by Maddock Films. All films in this universe are based on Indian folklore.
The first installment, Stree, was released as a standalone film. The universe-building began with Bhediya, in which characters from Stree appeared. This was followed by Munjya, where characters from Bhediya and Stree appeared. Stree 2 continued by featuring characters from Bhediya. Thamma features cameos from Bhediya, Stree, Munjya, and Stree 2, making Thamma the central link connecting all five films.
The universe was initially titled the Maddock Supernatural Universe, before the official MHCU lineup reveal in January 2025. This change in title was further confirmed with a logo reveal in September 2025, and also by Dinesh Vijan during a Thamma team Interview in October 2025.
Overview
The idea for a shared universe occurred to Dinesh Vijan from a conversation with American film producer Charles Roven in 2012, when Roven told him, "when you're making films, keep them in a box".Abhishek Banerjee is the only actor to have appeared in every film in the universe, and has been likened to Nick Fury from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the "connective thread" across the films.
Roohi, being promoted as a standalone sequel to Stree before its release, was initially planned as an entry in the Maddock Supernatural Universe but was removed from the official canon due to negative critical reviews and its overall failure to contribute to the franchise's world-building efforts; Roohi featured no such contributions to the broader narrative. The primary creative conflict stemmed from Rajkummar Rao playing entirely different characters in Roohi and Stree, which complicated shared-universe continuity, alongside the fact that the film was directed by Hardik Mehta, not series architect Amar Kaushik, who did not consider it part of his specific vision. Kaushik cited as a reason for its exclusion "unless I feel that a double role is needed for Raj". While no longer canon, it was included as an easter egg in a background TV scene in Munjya, establishing the film itself as a fictional movie within the MHCU timeline rather than a factual event.
Films
''Stree'' (2018)
Stree: Mard Ko Dard Hoga, the first installment of the franchise is directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Raj & DK. It stars Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao, alongside Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee. The plot is inspired by the Karnataka urban legend of Nale Ba, which means "come tomorrow" in Kannada, adapted in the film as "O Stree Kal Aana" in the film.Stree was theatrically released worldwide on 31 August 2018 and received positive reviews. The film grossed over ₹180 crore at the box office against a budget of ₹23–25 crore, becoming a box-office success. The film received ten nominations at the 64th Filmfare Awards and won Best Debut Director for Kaushik.
''Bhediya'' (2022)
Bhediya: Jungle Mein Kaand, the second installment was directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. The film stars Varun Dhawan alongside Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Deepak Dobriyal and Paalin Kabak. The plot is inspired by the North-East Indian Legends of Weretigers; particularly the legend of 'Khla Phuli' from Meghalaya -- reinterpreted in the movie as an Arunachal Pradesh tale about a shape-shifting Werewolf 'Yapum' who kills to protect the jungle. Additionally, characters from Stree appeared in the film, including cameo appearances by Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Aparshakti Khurana. Abhishek Banerjee reprises his role as Jana, Bhaskar's cousin. Bhediya was theatrically released on 25 November 2022, garnering positive reviews. The film grossed about ₹109 crore against a production budget of approximately ₹60 crore at the box office. It received 13 nominations at the 68th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Special Effects.''Munjya'' (2024)
Munjya, the third installment was directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik. The film stars Sharvari, Abhay Verma, Sathyaraj and Mona Singh. The titular character was created using CGI. Additionally, characters from Bhediya made cameo appearances in the film, including Varun Dhawan and Abhishek Banerjee. The film is based on folklore from Konkan that depicts a mischievous spirit named Munjya from Marathi tradition, which haunts peepal trees or wells. This spirit arises when a man dies unmarried between his thread ceremony and marriage ritual and often causes disturbances to fulfil his unfulfilled desires. Munjya was theatrically released on 7 June 2024, garnering mixed reviews. The film grossed over ₹132 crore worldwide against a production budget of ₹30 crore and became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2024. The movie, initially titled Munjha, was being speculated to be a prequel to Stree -- now ''Chhoti Stree.''''Stree 2'' (2024)
Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank, the fourth installment and direct sequel to Stree was directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Jyoti Deshpande. The film stars Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee,Aparshakti Khurana and Tamannaah Bhatia. The story follows the events after Stree, where the small town of Chanderi is haunted by a beheaded creature, "Sarkata", who is abducting women. It is based on the Bengali legend of Skondhokata which is of a headless ghost, typically believed to be the spirits of individuals who lost their heads in fatal train accidents; that capture humans and force them into slavery to help search for its missing head. Stree 2 was theatrically released on 15 August 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed over ₹880+ crore at the box office against a production budget of ₹50–120 crore.''Thamma'' (2025)
Thamma, the fifth installment in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, was directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik. Starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Paresh Rawal, the film follows a journalist transformed into a vampiric 'Betaal' after a bear attack, who must battle ancient evil and navigate a forbidden romance. The film blends Hindu mythology with a modern romantic-supernatural theme and was theatrically released on October 21, 2025, receiving mixed-to-positive reviews and grossing an estimated ₹210 crore against a ₹145 crore budget.The film was initially titled Sunehri Sunehra in 2022, changing to Vampires of Vijaynagar in 2023, Thama in 2024, and finally Thamma in 2025''.''
Upcoming films
''Shakti Shalini'' (2026)
The sixth installment in the franchise. It will star Aneet Padda in a titular role as Shakti Shalini, called "the mother of all" with Laksh Lalwani in a male lead. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in end of January 2026. The film is set to release on 24 December 2026, on Christmas Eve.''Chamunda'' (2027)
The seventh installment in the franchise. It will star Alia Bhatt in a titular role as Chamunda with Akshay Kumar as the main antagonist, reprising his role from his appearance as last living descendant of Chandrabhan in Stree 2. The film is set to release in 2027.''Bhediya 2'' (2027)
The eighth installment and a sequel to Bhediya, titled Bhediya 2, is in the pipeline, with Amar Kaushik returning as the director and Varun Dhawan reprising his role. The film will heavily focus on the hatred between Bhediya & Betaal as hinted in Thamma, with the slogan "THE HUNT BEGINS...". While the project has been officially announced, the makers are still in the pre-production phase but principal photography is expected to start soon. The film was set to release in 2026, however it got delayed until 2027, following the delay in Shakti Shalini. The film is set to release in 2027, after the release of Chamunda.''Chhoti Stree'' (2028)
The ninth installment in the franchise. "Chhoti Stree" is an upcoming animated film and a prequel to Stree. The film will be based on Shraddha Kapoor's character from Stree and will reportedly be released 6 months before the release of Stree 3. The ending of the film will be a shift to the present, showing the prologue for Stree 3 -- going from animation to live-action at the end.''Stree 3'' (2028)
The tenth installment in the franchise and a sequel to Stree 2. The film will feature Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, Aparshakti Khurana,and Tamannaah Bhatia reprising their roles with Akshay Kumar as the main antagonist, reprising his role from his appearance as last living descendant of Chandrabhan in Stree 2. He had an unknown hatred against his own family which will be known in Stree 3. Producer Dinesh Vijan confirmed that Stree 3 has already been written. Director Amar Kaushik mentioned it would take three years to produce.''Maha Munjya'' (2029)
The eleventh installment in the franchise and a sequel to Munjya. Abhay Verma and Sharvari will be reprising their roles as Bittu and Bela respectively. The film is set to release in 2029.''Pehla Mahayudh'' (2029)
The twelfth installment in the franchise, Pehla Mahayudh, will serve as the first part of the two-part finale for the current phase of the franchise. The story will continue and conclude in the twelfth installment, titled Doosara Mahayudh. Pehla Mahayudh will feature characters from all previous films in the franchise. The film is set to release on 10 August 2029, five days before Independence Day.Makers Dinesh Vijan, Jyoti Deshpande and director Amar Kaushik confirmed that Akshay Kumar will lead both the parts as Chandravanshi with several stars from previous installments will be pitted against him.