Stree is a lesbian? Thamma director reveals Dinesh Vijan’s original plan of casting Shraddha Kapoor as Bittu in Munjya | Bollywood News

Thamma director Aditya Sarpotdar may have averted a plot change that could’ve complicated Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik’s Maddock Horror Comedy Universe. He revealed that once he came on board his last year’s blockbuster Munjya, he shut down the initial idea of casting Shraddha Kapoor, who plays the daughter of Stree in the MHCU, as the protagon Bittu.
“This was the original story. Yogesh Chandekar, the writer, had written this film with a female perspective and a female protagon. Bittu was a girl then. She’s in love with her best friend. She’s a lesbian. Nobody understands her. Only Rajji understands her. She tells Rajji, ‘I’m in love with my best friend, nobody would get that.’ And then, Munjya enters the picture and defends her best friend,” recalled Sarpotdar.
He revealed that both Shraddha Kapoor and Alia Bhatt were approached for the role of Bittu initially, before Shraddha was finalized. She even did a look test for Munjya. But things changed once Sarpotdar came onboard. “I always feel that the core heart and the core narrative of a film should always be the same, not multiple. The audience doesn’t get too many things, they come to focus on only one, and that’s what they want,” Sarpotdar added in a chat with Moviefied.
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Sarpotdar felt that narrative of Munjya wasn’t working for him. He felt it’s better if the arc of Munjya is compared to that of a male Bittu, both of whom are in love with women six years older than them, but have different approaches to the same. While the former gets desperately violent, the latter is willing to sacrifice everything for his love. “Then I suggested, ‘Can we do this?’ And the producer said, ‘Let’s do it.’ So, the whole perspective and the entire game changed after that,” said Sarpotdar.
Newcomer Abhay Verma was eventually cast as Bittu, and was paired with Sharvari Wagh. Had Shraddha been cast in a same-sex relationship with Sharvari’s character, it would’ve made the MHCU much more complex. Shraddha had already played the leading lady in Amar Kaushik’s 2018 hit directorial debut Stree, and reprised her character in the blockbuster horror comedy Stree 2, which released after Munjya and revealed that she’s the daughter of the titular Stree.

While some users on the internet claimed that Shraddha and Sharvari would’ve made for a great pair, others argued that her sexuality is the reason why Shraddha’s character never reciprocated the feelings of Rajkummar Rao’s Vicky in the Stree franchise. However, most users agreed with Sarpotdar that the initial idea would’ve been too complex for the audience to stomach.
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The MHCU conss of the two instalments of Stree, Bhediya, Munjya, and most recently, Thamma. The vampire romantic comedy stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Paresh Rawal. Upcoming instalments include Shakti Shalini, starring Aneet Padda, an animated film on Choti Stree, and two instalments of the grand conclusion, Mahayudh.