Mumbai, Oct 25, 2024, IANS

Mumbai, Oct 25 (IANS) Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has reportedly been roped in to play the antagonist in the upcoming vampire comedy ‘Thamba’. Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, the movie also stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles. According to reports, Siddiqui's character in ‘Thamba’ is described as “eccentric yet violent,” originating from the ancient Vijayanagara Empire. A source close to the development was quoted as saying, “Nawazuddin's antagonist has been imagined as an eccentric yet violent character who lived centuries ago. He travels to the present to seek revenge and control the destinies of the two lead characters.” The forthcoming horror-comedy is anticipated to begin production in late November or early December. Siddiqui has previously played villains in movies such as ‘Badlapur’, ‘Munna Michael’, ‘Kick’, and ‘Petta’. Yesterday, Nawazuddin was caught up in a controversy following the release of a recent advertisement in which he was seen dressed as a Maharashtra police officer, encouraging people to play poker on the app. The Hindu Janjagruti Samiti sent a letter to the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the Maharashtra Director General of Police, urging them to take action against Siddiqui and Ankur Singh, the owner of Big Cash Poker. The letter demanded strict action against both Siddiqui and Singh under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules of 1979 and the Maharashtra Police Act of 1951. The letter stated, “This is alarming because the same police department files cases against such people and arrests gamblers. The Hindu Janjagruti Samiti’s ‘Surajya Abhiyan’ strongly condemns this, as it tarnishes the image of the Maharashtra Police. Ignoring this could lead to more illegal and unethical advertisements using police uniforms.” Talking about the film ‘Thamba’, the project marks Ayushmann Khurrana's first collaboration with Rashmika. The film will be produced by Amar Kaushik. Confirming this last month, the ‘Stree 2’ director stated, “The vampire film is titled ‘Thamba’. We will begin shooting for it in the next two months.”