In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, filmmaker Aditya Sarpotdar discusses his storytelling approach, emphasizing Maharashtrian folklore with projects like Munjya and The Secrets of the Shiledars.
Last Updated: 02.05 PM, Jan 30, 2025
As Aditya Sarpotdar gears up for the release of Disney+ Hotstar's The Secrets of the Shiledars, the filmmaker delves into his penchant for infusing Maharashtrian culture into mainstream Bollywood while also playing a crucial role in Maddock Films’ expanding horror-comedy cinematic universe. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Sarpotdar shared insights into his storytelling approach and the ambitious roadmap for the universe.
With Munjya and now The Secrets of the Shiledars, Sarpotdar has consistently reflected Maharashtrian folklore on a national platform. When asked what draws him to these themes and how he ensures a fresh take with each project, he explained:
"It is our Indian stories at the end of the day; even if the background is Maharashtra, it is a very local folk tale. Munjya is, again, a very local folklore. But I can't tell you how shocked and astonished and pleasantly surprised I was when Munjya was understood by people in Delhi and equally in Chennai. We have our own version of it, but the story remains the same. That, I think, is a very big eye-opener, where you realise, on the whole, what India is, what the culture is; it's the same. It’s just the versions of it that change from region to region. While we call it 'Munjya,' in Bengal, they call it 'Brahmadaitya.' In Chennai, there's a different name for it, and in Delhi, it was called something else.
I think, eventually, it is the basic soul of the story that works and resonates, the emotion of the story that works and resonates. So with Munjya, it was a clear attempt to make it so relatable that you understand the emotion of the boy, you understand the girl, and you understand consent. You understand the fact that there is a larger narrative.
Here, even if it is a treasure hunt, it is his (Rajeev Khandelwal's character) journey of finding himself. The show, from the outside, is a treasure hunt, but if you see the trailer and the teaser, it ends with 'ke mujhe pata hai ke mujhe kya karna hai' [I now know what I have to do]; meaning, what his goal is. It is his journey—his journey of his mission, aim, and goal in life. These, I think, are the things that stay with an audience at the end of the day, because why would anyone care about a treasure? It's not like it’s going to end up in their home. But why do they relate to it? Because they connect with the character’s journey, his challenges, his victories. And you relate only because you find the emotion relatable."
"I have to tell you one thing: I very strongly feel this—that we, as a society, have changed a lot post the pandemic. What happened to all of us in 2020 completely rewired our brains subconsciously. Now we want to take more risks because we lived through risk. That whole year was us risking our lives, and now we want to see people take those risks, and we appreciate that. We as a community are seeing this shift in cinema. But we should be taking those risks now as filmmakers; we should be telling stories we never told. We should move out of our comfort space, because the audience has moved out of their comfort space in their daily lives as well.
You will see this happening more and more. And you will see that anybody who’s taking a risk as a filmmaker, trying to present a different subject in front of the audience—something they have never seen before—the audience will always appreciate them. Their honesty will always be appreciated."
With Maddock Films officially announcing its horror-comedy cinematic universe with Thama, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sarpotdar, who has directed two films within this franchise, spoke about the responsibility of building such an ambitious world:
"It’s quite a bit of responsibility, but it is a lot of fun also, because the next five years and eight films are a long-term plan. Executing that will not only depend on how each film is received, but we are very confident and sure that the audience has now given us so much love and anticipation. People have already started making videos on what will happen in the next film and what storyline will be introduced.
"It’s so exciting to see how people think, and that is what I’m going to use as a takeoff point to build ideas. But right now, it's just Amar [Kaushik] jamming a lot with Niren Bhatt, who is also the head writer of this universe, and we’re just having a good time. We just want to enjoy ourselves. We want to make films that are fun to create, and the process should be even more enjoyable for the next one. That’s the basic idea.
"There’s not too much pressure. We don’t overanalyse too much, though people sometimes do, and reading their theories is so much fun. Look, we don’t even know what’s going to happen with us next year. We only know that right now, we’re enjoying what we’re making, and we’re looking forward to what we want to do next. That’s the only agenda—there’s nothing else."
With The Secrets of the Shiledars set to release on January 31, 2025, and the Maddock horror-comedy universe expanding rapidly, Sarpotdar’s vision for compelling and culturally rooted storytelling continues to evolve. Meanwhile, Thama is set for a Diwali 2025 release.