Munjya

A young man's visit to his native village unveils a family secret and a vengeful spirit, the Munjya, who wants to get married. Now the young man must fight to protect himself and his love from Munjya's clutches.

 

Release date: June 7, 2024 (India)

Director: Aditya Sarpotdar

Box office: est. ₹132.13 crore

Budget: ₹30 crore

Story by: Yogesh Chandekar

Distributed by: Pen Studios

A young man`s visit to his native village unveils a family secret and a vengeful spirit, Munjya, who wants to get married. Now the young man must fight to protect himself and his love from Munjya`s clutches leading to a humorously chaotic and terrifying adventure.

Review: Director Aditya Sarpotdar’s horror comedy, inspired by Indian folklore, takes the viewer on an atmospheric adventure early on. The story unfolds in 1952 in the idyllic Konkan countryside, where young Gotya resorts to black magic to win an older girl Munni’s heart. However, he tragically loses his life as his attempt backfires. Since he dies within 10 days of his ‘munj’ (thread ceremony), he becomes a restless spirit, Munjya, trapped in a tree.

Fast-forward to the present, Munjya latches on to his descendant, Bittu (Abhay Verma), fixated on fulfilling his unfulfilled desire—to marry Munni and set his spirit free. However, in a turn of events, Munjya sets his sights on Bittu's love interest, Bela (Sharvari). A ride filled with laughter and horror follows as Bittu scrambles to save himself and Bela from Munjya's clutches. As the film’s story progresses, the comedy often dilutes the tension the horror elements build. The energy slips in the second half as the narrative prioritises goofy scenes such as spirits swapping, a self-proclaimed godman (S Sathyaraj) helping the protagonist, and so on.

fdcx