Rating – **** (4/5)
The creators and propellers of the world of Stree had a vision – a vision to have more stories join this zone of supernatural comedy with an intricate link that ties them all. It continued fantastically with Bhediya and now we have another entry in the form of Munjya. What’s interesting is how Munjya was a talking point right when Dinesh Vijan announced his plans of creating this universe and now, after five years, here we are.
Folklore & Conviction
It has been said and accentuated innumerable times that Indian folklore stories are some of the most intriguing and mind-bending tales and when they are conveyed with authenticity, conviction and entertainment – you have a winner.
That’s what Stree did and while Bhediya did that to an extent as well, Munjya reaffirms the faith in this universe and the promises it has made. Special attention is paid to never fidget with the technicalities of the story of a rooted tale so that you don’t question the logic – because just when you feel you might do that – you are immediately distracted from it with a well-executed jump scare, fairly done CGI of the character himself, Munjya and impeccable sound design.
Gripping With Knockout Performances
To be a tale that transcends ingrained folklore to the modern world is a tricky task but director Aditya Sarpotdar and his writing team of Niren Bhatt, Yogesh Chandekar and Tushar Ajgaonkar make sure to carve a neatly woven plotline that has enough meat to scare you, shock you, bewitch you, and most importantly entertain you.
This wouldn’t have been possible without the cast delivering knockout performances – for us, we are still taking baby steps in the world of CGI, where we continue to raise the scale with budgets that are a mere fraction of the mega Hollywood films that we see. And still, we are doing well and going in the right direction.
But in this world, the human actors – especially an innocent Abhay Verma, who is perfectly cast as Bittu lends the right amount of naivete, bravura and simplicity; Sharvari, who doesn’t have much to do initially but does a tremendous job in the second half when things are escalated.
However, I would be remiss to not mention actor, Ajay Purkar, who is the show-stealer here – do watch out for him. Mona Singh, who is always reliable barely gets anything to do here but does well with whatever she is provided.
An Apt Extension of the Universe
The burning question was how will the world of Munjya be tied to the Stree and Bhediya tale. To decipher this, you have to wait till the song Taras ends and we see the mid-credits scene which reveal how this film has connected the worlds (which I will not spoil for you).
But it can be said that the connection is hilarious and smartly placed as we wait for Stree 2 and hopefully a partial all-star union on-screen.
Do yourself a favor – go and watch Munjya not only because we need to support and appreciate innovative filmmaking and efforts but because it actually delivers on the promise and entertains.