Munjya Review - Another Comically Haunting Chapter in Horror-Universe

Munjya Review Movie Talkies

Munjya Review: The fourth film in Dinesh Vijan's so-called "horror universe is here, only to make us believe that Bollywood can still make good horror comedies. People who have loved recent horror comedies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Bhediya, and Roohi will surely find Munjya fitting the bill. The impact of Stree remains superior, but on its own, Munjya manages a pretty good show.

According to folklore in Maharashtra's rural places and Konkan coast, Munjya (the Bramharakshas) is believed to be the ghost of unmarried boys who died within 15 days of the "Mujya" ceremony (going bald), inhabiting peepal trees. Munjyas are described as restless bachelor ghosts who roam trees at night, possessing cleverness and multilingual abilities.Bittu (Abhay Verma) is living in Pune but is haunted by bad dreams of a tree and Munjya's voice. He loves Bela (Sharvari) but cannot dare to tell her, making the path clear for Bela's foreign friend to propose to her. During his recent visit to his native place and, by mistake, to the Chetukwadi (a place where Munjya resides), he frees Munjya from the tree. This Munjya happens to be one of his ancestors, who wanted to marry Munni but died before that. Now, he wants to marry Munni, and Bittu is forced to help him. His search for Munni ends with Bela, who happens to be Munni's blood relative. So now Bittu must save Bela from Munjya by finding a way to kill the Brahmarakshas. Will he be able to defeat Munjya?Munjya's script is a little scattered and predictable too, but it isn't that bad considering the kind of phase Bollywood is going through. The black magic stuff does scare you in the beginning but then disappears once Munjya enters the picture. Then it's his show. That cracking voice, screams, haunting dreams, and Munjhya's eagerness for "Lagin" (marriage)—all those things keep you pretty hooked up and entertained.Abhay Verma plays the main protagonist, who is not much of a "hero" or "macho" guy, but his simplicity wins you over. Sharvari looks pretty and has a surprising avatar in the climax to scare you away. Sathyaraj's characterization was cartoonish, with a sort of stupid humour. From calling Steven Spielberg his classmate and Harrison Ford some "gora," to "hand of God," he has some silly punchlines that will entertain kids. As expected, there are many Marathi faces since the film is set in a Marathi ghetto, and they all have done a good job.The music is disappointing, and the background score is overly loud. The cinematography captured some beautiful shots of the Konkan coast and that remote island called Chetukwadi. The art design and production were partially fine, but you gotto give it to them for trying to bring the first-ever fully CGI demon into a horror flick in Bollywood.Aditya Sarpotdar's kid-looking Gollum keeps the ring in hand without any precious efforts. Aditya's attempt fares well in delivering what's promised. A few misses here and there, but Munjya still makes another entertaining entry into Dinesh Vijan's horror universe. And wait for the post-credit scene and go home howling.