Aditya Sarpotdar On Building A Horror Cinematic Universe: ‘We’re Not Making Films For Just The 10% Who Track Every Detail’ (EXCLUSIVE)

As cinematic universes become increasingly reliant on interconnected storylines and years of accumulated mythology, Aditya Sarpotdar believes the success of Maddock's horror universe depends on a simpler principle: every film should first work as a satisfying standalone experience.

Speaking to Variety India, the "Munjya" director, who will helm the upcoming "Shakti Shalini," says that while the studio has a long-term vision for the universe, the films are ultimately being made for the vast majority of audiences. Sarpotdar says, "The audience that really follows this roadmap and is following all of this in detail, at least in India, is not even 10%. The other 90% comes to watch a good film and have a good time. The idea is to cater to that 90% and also not disappoint the other 10%. So we are not making films just for the 10% audience that dissects every detail". 

For Sarpotdar, that balance has become one of the defining creative challenges of building an interconnected franchise. "When you're starting to build something, there is no pressure because there are no expectations. But when you're building a franchise, you're coming with a certain set of expectations because the earlier film has worked. That's why people are coming back for the next," he explains.

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Those expectations, he says, create an unusually delicate balancing act. "You can't follow the tropes, but if you don't follow the tropes, it doesn't feel like a franchise film. And if you follow the tropes, it feels like repetition. It's a very thin line you're walking on. You need to make the audience feel this is the world they want to enter, but also show them something new."

Rather than treating each installment as merely another chapter in a larger narrative, Sarpotdar believes every entry has to justify its own existence. "The franchise is only as good as its last film. Every film has to have its own audience and its own value that it adds to the franchise," he says.

With "Shakti Shalini" becoming his third film within the universe after "Munjya" and "Thama," the filmmaker says reinvention has become essential. "We have to reinvent ourselves with every film while knowing what the soul of the franchise is. You build around that soul and create a completely new experience."

That approach also means actively learning from audience feedback rather than rigidly following a predetermined blueprint. "We have our larger ideas, but we prefer taking one film at a time. Once a film releases, we see how people have perceived it. We take into account the feedback, understand what has landed and what hasn't, and then course-correct the larger plan if needed."

He adds that criticism of earlier films has directly influenced subsequent projects, making the franchise an evolving creative exercise rather than a fixed template. "The balance of certain elements that were criticized in 'Thama' is something you avoid doing in the next film. That's the learning curve. We can't have a copy-paste template for every film."

While fans frequently speculate about the universe's long-term roadmap, Sarpotdar stressed that the larger crossover event, "Mahayudh," should not overshadow the individual stories leading toward it. "The world is leading towards 'Mahayudh,'" he says. The crossover remains part of the broader vision without becoming the sole focus of each installment. Instead, his priority remains ensuring that audiences who have never watched a previous Maddock Horror Comedy Universe film can still enjoy the next one without feeling excluded.