Munjya Review: Sharvari Wagh and Abhay Verma's movie is quite literally a horror show, after a promising start

Munjya directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and starring Abhay Verma, Sharvari Wagh, Mona Singh and others, now plays at a theatre near you. Read our review here.

Published on Jun 07, 2024  |  10:01 AM IST |  857K
Abhay Verma, Sharvari Wagh
The idea of making movies like Munjya, inspired by Indian folklores is great provided full justice is done to it (Credit: Maddock Films)
Key Highlight
  • Munjya starts off on a promising note but gets trapped in its horror-comedy tropes
  • Munjya is benefitted by solid background score and enjoyable songs
  • Munjya plays at a theatre near you, now

Name: Munjya

Director: Aditya Sarpotdar

Cast: Sharvari Wagh,Sathyaraj,Mona Singh,Abhay Verma

Rating: 2.5

Plot:

In the year 1952, a boy is denied to marry Munni, a girl 7 years older than him. The boy's head is shaved off forcefully and Munni is wedded to someone else. That night, the boy takes his sister along and performs dark magic under a peepal tree. He dies in an effort to kill his sister, whom he tried to use as a sacrificial goat. Since the boy dies within the 10 days of shaving off his head, he turns into a monster named Munjya, who dwells on individuals of his own family, and pesters them to find him his Munni.

In present day, Bittu (Abhay Verma), who works with his mother (Mona Singh) in a hair salon, gets frequent nightmares and it often catches him off guard. He loves Bella (Sharvari Wagh) but is never able to express his love as Bella has always considered him to be a buddy and because he finds out that she is in a relationship with a foreigner named Kuba.

Bittu's nightmares become more specific in a casual visit to his ancestral village, with his mother and grandmother. He learns about Munjya and goes to the haunted peepal tree where he encounters Munjya. While he somehow survives it, he can't get rid of Munjya, who pesters him to help him find his Munni.

Will Bittu help Munjya find Munni? How does Bella find herself in the craziness? Watch Munjya to find out.

What works for Munjya:

Munjya is quite a fresh film conceptually and to top it, it has charming, young faces that keep the proceedings light and breezy. Few comic punches are right on the money and will make you laugh your heart out. The initial world-building is solid and the movie cuts straight to the chase with its very first sequence. Despite being a non-starrer of sorts, the movie never compromises on the production value, and the film looks as rich as any other film having an A-lister. The visual effects work is great, more so considering how little it has cost. Every song in the movie is superb, be it Taras, Tainu Khabar Nahi or Hai Jamale. The background score is terrific.

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What doesn't work for Munjya:

Munjya often gets excessively loud and Munjya - the monster is too irritating to stand. The one who has managed the voice of the monster has done an unforgivably poor job. While the film starts with promise, it falls prey to the usual horror-comedy tropes. The screenplay gets absurd in the second half to the point that you question everything that is happening on the screen. The characters lack depth. Sharvari Wagh is underutilized. Sathyaraj as the exorcist is given an eccentric part and is totally wasted. It is only the monster Munjya that gets a well cut out story that lays the foundation for what happens ahead.

Watch the Munjya Trailer


Performances in Munjya:

Abhay Verma as Bittu is pretty good. He acts being scared, really well.
Sharvari Wagh as Bella is nice. However, her act in the climax isn't convincing.
Sathyaraj is alright as the exorcist but from the movie's standpoint, he is not utilised well.
Mona Singh as Bittu's mother  is fun to watch. 
The child artists do an impressive job. 
The actors essaying the roles of Bittu's friend and Bittu's uncle's daughter lend strong support.

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Final Verdict of Munjya:

Munjya has redeeming qualities but the irritating monster, formulaic tropes and the outrageous climax make it the horror show that it doesn't intend to be.
Munjya now plays at a theatre near you. You can book your tickets for the movie now.

ALSO READ: Munjya Box Office Preview: Dinesh Vijan’s Horror Comedy run time, screen count, advance booking & opening day

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