Munjya movie review: Abhay Verma, Sharvari, Mona Singh starrer is a fine horror comedy but it's not Stree

The combination of horror and comedy has proved to be a sure shot ticket to box office success. From Bhool Bhulaiya to Stree, Bollywood has served some great entertainment when it comes to supernatural space. Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock films has especially cracked the code in horror comedy genre with films like Stree, Roohi and Bhediya. Adding to the list is Munjya. The production house is taking the horror comedy universe a notch higher by introducing a CGI actor who is actually the Munjya.

Munjya movie review

Director: Aditya Sarpotdar

Cast: Abhay Verma, Sharvari Wagh, Mona Singh and more

Where to watch: In Theatres

Release Date: 7 June, 2024

What is it about?

Inspired from a folklore, Munjya story is based in Konkan where the gorgeous ocean spills magic by the coast and lush greenery intimidates. So what is Munjya? The folklore surrounds young boys who die within 10 days of their thread (Munja) ceremony. It is stated that if the spirit awakens, it turns into a brahma rakshas who then haunts relatives to fulfil his unfinished wishes. Munjya’s wish generally is to get married. The film is all about this! Abhay Verma plays the role of Bittu who is haunted by this Munjya. He wants to marry ‘Munni’. Is he able to? We won’t give spoilers.

Watch Munjya trailer below:

What’s hot?

The first scene of Munjya begins in 1952 where a mother is hitting a young boy for being in love with an older girl. He is then forced to chop his hair for the thread ceremony. The next scene has two kids walking through a narrow land surrounded by the ocean into the dense forest and that’s where Munjya’s story begins. The first few scenes begin on an adventurous note and they set the tone and vibe for the film. Years later, Bittu played by Abhay Verma is leading his normal life in Pune along with his mother Pammi played by Mona Singh and grandmother played by Suhas Joshi. Sharvari plays the role of his childhood friend and love interest. The story takes a massive twist as they visit their village in Konkan. Abhay Verma has done a good job as he is able to portray the innocence and emotions right. Of course it is not the most polished performance of his but he has done fine. Munjya is like betal to Bittu’s Vikram and it can get daunting at times. Sharvari is impressive in bits especially when she gets possessed. S Sathyaraj of Baahubali fame is a self-proclaimed godman in the film. His character is somewhat on the lines of Pankaj Tripathi from Stree but different. The star of course is the CGI Munjya. Credit should be given where credit is due! Director Aditya Sarpotdar receives a special mention as he quite skilfully managed to translate his vision onto screen. From the gorgeous Konkan to CGI effects, he has just got it right. There are some hilarious moments that will leave you laughing hard. Mona Singh has done well when it comes to comedy while the scenes between Bittu and his cousin are hilarious. Much to the delight of the audience, there is only one song that plays during in the film.

What’s not?

Mona Singh is a wasted talent in Munjya. We hope to see more of her in the sequel (Yes, there’s a hint). It is a horror comedy but the film lacks great punches and laughs. Maddock has served us with Stree that kept us laughing throughout. We wish Munjya too had much of comedy and makers had added much more depth to the CGI character.

Verdict

For all the horror comedy lovers, Munjya is a one-time watch film. Do not expect it to be as fun and entertaining as Stree though!