Actor Abhishek Banerjee, who has reprised his beloved character Jana across the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, said that it’s been a “truly special journey” watching the simple, quirky man from "Stree" evolve into a pivotal thread connecting multiple stories.
Abhishek in a conversation with IANS said: “What’s been truly special about playing Jana is how organically he’s grown with every film in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe. When I first played him in Stree, none of us imagined that this simple, quirky guy would go on to become such an integral thread connecting so many stories.”
The actor credits Amar Kaushik, Dinesh Vijan, Niren Bhatt and the entire writing team for making Jana an important character in all films including Stree franchise, Bhediya, Munjya and Thamma. “They’ve managed to keep Jana’s soul intact while fitting him seamlessly into different worlds, tones and timelines.
Each time I come back to him, I’m amazed at how they find a way to make him relevant to the story, always funny without it being a force fit,” said Abhishek. He feels Jana just belongs everywhere in this universe.
“As an actor, it’s rare to live with one character across so many films, and I feel incredibly lucky that the audience still wants to see more of him. Jana’s journey is as unpredictable and entertaining as the universe itself,” said Abhishek.
Abhishek’s Jana was recently seen in Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna-starrer ‘Thamma,’ a film based on vampires, follows a journalist played by Ayushmann, who gets caught up in the power struggle of vampires Rashmika and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
“Thamma” also stars Nawazuddin Siddqui and Rashmika Mandanna, and is set in a fictional world. The film also sees a crossover with Varun Dhawan’s “Bhediya”. The film is part of the larger Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, and is connected to the Stree films, Bhediya, and Munjya.