Oct 09, 2026 10:46am IST
‘Shakti Shalini’ Director Aditya Sarpotdar On Discovering Aneet Padda Before ‘Saiyaara’: ‘Very Few Actresses Possess This Kind Of Range’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Aditya Sarpotdar’s “Shakti Shalini” marks another expansion of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe; but for the filmmaker, the film’s identity begins with the story itself. While the upcoming horror comedy draws from Bengali folk traditions, Sarpotdar sees its cultural foundation as something far broader and rooted.
“On the surface, there is a reference to Bengali folk in ‘Shakti Shalini’. But in reality, it is a very strong Indian folk story. This story doesn't belong to just one region; it is connected to the soul of India,” Sarpotdar tells Variety India.
The filmmaker believes that this shift towards folklore-driven horror reflects how the genre is evolving in Indian cinema. Rather than treating cultural traditions merely as an aesthetic backdrop, he sees horror as a way of returning to stories that have existed within the country for generations.
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“There are so many stories in our country that emerge from our soil, culture, and traditions. Horror is no longer just a tool to scare people; it has now become a search for our roots. ‘Shakti Shalini’ is very much a part of that journey,” he says.
At the centre of that journey is Aneet Padda, who leads the film after her breakout performance in “Saiyaara”. Padda was officially announced as the lead of “Shakti Shalini” in October 2025, with the film now scheduled to arrive in cinemas on December 24, 2026. The film also stars Vishal Jethwa, Viineet Kumar Singh, Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas.
For Sarpotdar, however, his interest in Padda predates her “Saiyaara” success. He had already seen her work in the series “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and was struck by the contrast in her performances.
“When we reached Ooty for the shoot of ‘Thamma’, my location director mentioned the series. I watched it and immediately understood that this girl has a different range. At times, she appears like a carefree tomboy; at other times, like an emotional, vulnerable girl. Very few actresses possess this kind of range,” he says.
That versatility, according to Sarpotdar, was only one part of what made Padda compelling for “Shakti Shalini”. He was equally drawn to her instinct to keep pushing herself as an actor.
“Aneet’s biggest strength is her hunger, the thirst an artist has to learn and improve is clearly visible in her. She is not afraid to experiment with her performance. I am fully confident that she will bring something completely fresh to this universe and carve out her own identity,” he adds.
The film has already completed its shoot and moved into post-production, with Sarpotdar previously telling Variety India that the focus was now on getting “Shakti Shalini” right. The film was shot across locations including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Mumbai, with its final schedule wrapping in May.
But “Shakti Shalini” is also part of a larger plan. Maddock’s interconnected horror slate has been expanding since “Stree”, “Bhediya” and “Munjya”, with “Thamma” further widening the universe before “Shakti Shalini”. “Maha Munjya” is also in the pipeline, with Sarpotdar attached to the project.
“Shakti Shalini” represents both a new standalone story and another piece in Maddock’s expanding supernatural world. For Sarpotdar, the priority remains making sure the individual story works before it becomes another link in the larger universe.
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