Alia Bhatt Celebrates Halloween With Tumbbad’s Hastar Mask, Fuelling Tumbbad 2 Excitement

Alia Bhatt gave Halloween a distinctly Indian twist this year, celebrating the festival by posing face-to-face with the iconic mask of Hastar from Tumbbad. The actor shared the picture on social media on October 31 with the caption ‘Happy Halloween’ and the hashtag #HastarForHalloween, and the post quickly caught fire among fans, many of whom read it as a nod to the growing anticipation around Tumbbad 2.

Tumbbad, released in 2018 and directed by Rahi Anil Barve, follows Vinayak Rao’s obsession with wealth and his encounters with Hastar, a mythical entity tied to a cursed treasure. The folk-horror film built its cult following slowly, through atmospheric storytelling and a visual style unlike anything else in Hindi cinema, and its 2024 re-release turned that cult into a commercial force, emerging as one of the highest-grossing Indian re-releases.

Tumbbad 2 is being produced under Sohum Shah Films, with Sohum Shah returning to headline the franchise. The period mythological horror drama is expected to expand the world of the first film, with the story reportedly moving beyond Vinayak Rao’s pursuit of gold into themes of immortality and ancient supernatural forces, carrying forward the legacy of Vinayak’s son Pandurang. The sequel is targeting a worldwide theatrical release in 2027, and Bhatt’s Halloween post is the latest reminder of how firmly Hastar’s face has lodged itself in popular culture.

Here is the Filmverse take: what makes this small post significant is who shared it. Alia Bhatt is not just any fan — she sported Tumbbad’s eye mask on the film’s eighth anniversary too, and her Halloween tribute shows how a cult film graduates into a cultural touchstone: when mainstream stars play with its imagery, the franchise no longer needs a trailer to trend. For Tumbbad 2, still more than a year from release, that kind of organic attention is worth more than any teaser campaign. Read our report on the film’s eighth anniversary celebrations here: https://filmverse.in/tumbbad-8th-anniversary-sohum-shah-merchandise-sequel-2027/

Sources: Bollywood Hungama, Zoom TV, Filmibeat