Xtreme Vogue Islamabad Desk: Sidra Yusuf
Star Cast: Sharvari, Abhay Verma, Mona Singh, S Sathyaraj
Director: Aditya Sarpotdar
Munjya Movie Synopsis:
MUNJYA is the story of a menacing spirit. Bittu (Abhay Verma) resides in Pune with his mother Pammi (Mona Singh) and grandmother (Suhasini Joshi). Pammi runs a beauty parlour and Bittu helps her in her business. He’s in love with his neighbour, Bela (Sharvari) but never gets a chance to confess his love. Rukku (Bhagyashree Limaye), Bittu’s cousin, is about to get engaged. Hence, Bittu, Pammi and the grandmother travel to Rukku’s place in a seaside town in Konkan, Maharashtra. Rukku’s father, Balu Kaka (Ajay Purkar), opens old wounds about their family and how Bittu’s father died in a freak accident. An angry and sad Bittu storms out of Balu’s house and heads to Chetukwadi, a haunted locality. Here, he bumps into Munjya, a spirit of one of his forefathers who passed away in 1952 and who’s looking for his bride, a girl named Munni. Munjya is tied to a banyan tree in Chetukwadi but circumstances are such that he gets attached to Bittu. Moreover, only Bittu can see him and Munjya makes his life hell as he asks him to find Munni. But Munni has shifted from Munjya’s village long back and finding her will be a tough job for him. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Story Review:
Yogesh Chandekar’s story is fascinating. There have been different films on different kinds of spirits but this is the first film on a ‘munjya’ and hence, it stands out. Niren Bhatt’s screenplay is captivating but has some loose ends in the first half. Niren Bhatt’s dialogues add to the entertainment quotient of the film.
Aditya Sarpotdar’s direction is effective. The director uses his skills to build an eerie atmosphere. At the same time, he also doesn’t sacrifice the humour bit and eventually, the film ends up having both comedy and horror in equal doses. He keeps the narrative fast-paced and doesn’t let viewers feel bored. He neatly introduces the back story at the very start and then takes the plot forward. The second half is much better with the climax turning out to be full of twists and turns. The film ends on an intriguing note and watch out for the mid-credit scene.
On the flipside, the first half could have been better. It also gets a bit heavy as too much information is thrown at the viewer and it’s only in the second half that things get clear. Some jokes don’t have the desired impact. Also, in places, the narrative moves too quickly. For instance, the scene where Bittu finally finds Munni could have been executed in a better fashion. Also, while the director sums up all the tracks properly, he doesn’t provide details on what happened to a crucial character.
Movie Performances:
Sharvari has a strong screen presence; when she’s in the frame, one doesn’t look at anyone else. Performance-wise, she’s first-rate and looks sizzling in the song ‘Taras’. However, she doesn’t have much to do in the first half. Abhay Verma gets into the skin of his character and gives a very able performance. He also gets his body language right. Mona Singh leaves a huge mark in a supporting role. Suhasini Joshi is adorable. Despite limited screen time, she rocks the show. S Sathyaraj (Elvis Karim Prabhakar) is very entertaining and his casting adds a lot to the film. Bhagyashree Limaye is okay while Ajay Purkar is superb. One can’t help but hate him. Taranjot Singh (Spielberg) raises laughs; however, his love track emerges suddenly. Richard Lovatt (Kuba) is decent and gets a raw deal. Shrutii Marrathe (Gotya’s mother) doesn’t have much to do. Ayush Ulagadde makes his presence felt.
Munjya music and other technical aspects:
Sachin–Jigar’s music is well-woven into the narrative. ‘Taras’ is foot-tapping and well-shot. ‘Tenu Khabar Nahi’ is soulful while ‘Haijamalo’ is in sync with the film’s theme. Justin Varghese’s background score enhances the impact.
Saurabh Goswami’s cinematography is neat. The locales of Kudal and Guhagar are beautifully captured by the lensman. Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty’s production design is realistic. Sheetal Iqbal Sharma’s costumes are straight out of life while the ones worn by Sharvari are appealing. R P Yadav and Darrell Mclean’s action is not gory. Redefine’s VFX is praiseworthy. The character of Munjya, especially, is very well conceptualized and created. Monisha R Baldawa’s editing is slick.
Conclusion:
On the whole, MUNJYA is an entertaining horror-comedy with a gripping second half. At the box office, the film might start slow but it has the potential to pick up due to the genre, word of mouth and connection with the Maddock Cinematic Universe.
