Amar Kaushik reveals why Aneet Padda has been picked to lead MHCU’s next film Shakti Shalini: ‘When we saw Saiyaara…’
Amar Kaushik also shared that the shooting of Shakti Shalini will begin in January 2026 and will be the only film from the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe to release next year. Shakti Shalini, starring Saiyaara star Aneet Padda, will release in theaters on December 24, 2026.
Aneet Padda to direct Shakti Shalini
Thamma, the fifth film of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU) after Stree, Bhediya, Stree 2 and Munjya, was released in theaters on October 21. The post-credits scene teased the next MHCU movie, Shakti Shalini, which will star Aneet Padda and will hit theaters on December 24, 2026. Saiyaara was released earlier this year and became a blockbuster, grossing Rs 580 million at the worldwide box office.
Amar Kaushik, who has directed three films at MHCU so far – Stree, Bhediya and Stree 2 – has now shared how Aneet was chosen to direct Shakti Shalini. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, the producer said, “While writing the script, we realized that we needed a younger actor. In the meantime, we also watched the movie Saiyaara and saw that he suited this character very well. He heard the story and joined the cast.”
The Shakti Shalini promotion did not include the name of the director who will helm the project. When Amar was asked whether he or Aditya Sarpotdar will direct the film Aneet Padda, the Bala director said, “We are still debating and have not decided yet.” Aditya directed the 2024 sleeper hit Munjya and also directed Thamma. Amar also shared that the shooting of Shakti Shalini will begin in January 2026 and will be MHCU’s only film to release next year.
Meanwhile, speaking of Thamma, the romantic horror comedy stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles and also stars Paresh Rawal, Geeta Agarwal Sharma, Faisal Malik and Rachit Singh in important supporting roles. Stree’s Nora Fatehi, Munjya’s Sathyaraj, Bhediya’s Varun Dhawan and Stree 2’s Abhishek Banerjee reprise their roles in cameo appearances. The film earned more than Rs 50 crore nett in India in its first three days.
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