Free Fire Max Partners With Maddock Films for “Thamma” Crossover

Garena has announced its latest Bollywood collaboration, this time with Maddock Films, for a Diwali-themed crossover between Free Fire Max and the upcoming movie Thamma. The tie-in expands the game’s growing cultural footprint in India through celebrity-driven events and localized storytelling. The Thamma crossover will feature themed cosmetics, limited-time challenges, and potentially a new playable character inspired by the film’s supernatural motifs.​

Free Fire Bridges Bollywood and Gaming

Produced by Maddock Films, the studio behind Stree, Bhediya, and Munja, Thamma continues the interconnected “Maddock Horror Comedy Universe.” Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and written by Niren Bhatt, it stars Ayushmann Khurrana as Alok, a journalist transformed into a mythical vampire-like creature known as Betal.  As part of Free Fire Max’s Diwali campaign, players will experience new visual updates, rangolis, diyas, and themed overlays, alongside gameplay changes like a Dark Zone on the Bermuda map. In keeping with the spirit of the festival, Garena has also released “Tu Subah Hai,” an animated music video highlighting light-over-darkness themes and community celebration.​

This collaboration marks another major push by Garena toward content localization. Over the past two years, Free Fire Max has pursued similar partnerships with Indian pop culture phenomena, from cricket and cinema to music videos. The Maddock crossover stands out due to its cultural depth and popular star appeal, a blending of modern Indian cinema with interactive storytelling.

Ayushmann Khurrana teased the partnership in a short promotional video, “Iss Diwali, Ayushmann ready hai fight ke liye at the peak!” where players are challenged to “drop on the peak to fight against evil” in the spirit of Thamma’s supernatural world. The event underlines Garena’s increasing investment in India’s entertainment ecosystem as it continues uniting film, festival, and gaming under a shared cultural spotlight.​

Building on prior IP crossovers such as Free Fire x Demon Slayer and Free Fire x Blue Lock, the Thamma collaboration symbolizes Garena’s shift from imported global tie-ins to domestically rooted partnerships. It mirrors the platform’s strategy of celebrating regional storytelling while growing engagement across India’s expanding mobile user base.​

For Garena, collaborations like Thamma are less about one-off promotions and more about long-term cultural integration. As Diwali nears and Thamma premieres in theaters on October 21, Free Fire Max appears positioned to remain India’s most active conduit between local cinema and online play, where festivals, films, and firefights meet in one digital arena. Free Fire Max is not the only game hosting a special event this Diwali. Pokémon Go is also hosting a special Diwali event featuring Pikachu adorned in a saree and kurta.