Munjya

 Munjya is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and starring Sharvari, Abhay Verma, Sathyaraj and Mona Singh. The titular character was entirely created using CGI.Produced by Amar Kaushik and Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films, it is the fourth installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe and focuses on the legend of munjya, inspired by Indian folklore and mythology.

Munjya was theatrically released worldwide on 7 June 2024, garnering positive reviews from critics. The film emerged as a sleeper hit, grossing ₹132 crore worldwide against a production cost of ₹30 crore, becoming the sixth highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024.

Plot

In 1952, in a village in Konkan, a young Brahmin boy named Gotya is in love with Munni, a girl seven years older than him. When Munni's marriage is arranged with another man, Gotya unsuccessfully attempts to poison him. After being scolded by his mother, Gotya, determined to marry Munni, takes his sister Gita to a dense jungle called Chetukwadi to perform black magic under a peepal tree. In the process, he accidentally kills himself when trying to sacrifice his sister, and becomes a malevolent spirit named Munjya that haunts the tree.

Several decades later, in Pune, Bittu is a timid young man working as a hairdresser at his mother Pammi's salon. He loves his grandmother dearly and is deeply attached to her. He is in love with his childhood friend Bela but hasn't confessed his feelings. Bela returns after completing her studies from the United States and her boyfriend Kuba proposes to her, leaving Bittu heartbroken.

Bittu has recurring nightmares about the haunted peepal tree. Bittu's family travels to their ancestral home in Konkan for his cousin Rukku's engagement. There, his uncle Balu Kaka reveals that Bittu's father died near the haunted tree, believed to be caused by Munjya. Ignoring warnings, Bittu visits the tree and gets possessed by Munjya. Bittu's grandmother, who is revealed to be Gotya's sister Gita is killed by Munjya. Munjya demands Bittu help him marry Munni, now Bela's grandmother.

Bittu confides in his maternal cousin, Spielberg, and they learn about Munni's history from Rukku. Munjya, now interested in Bela, plans to marry and sacrifice her. Bittu and Spielberg seek help from an exorcist, Elvis, who devises a plan to transfer Munjya into a goat and kill it. However, the plan goes awry, and Bela is possessed. Munjya, now in Bela's body, tries to kill Bittu, but Elvis intervenes and blocks Munjya in a salt circle. They discover that Bela’s soul is in the goat and try to find that goat but Bittu’s uncle takes the goat away with him. Bittu along with his mother Pammi finds his uncle and discovers that he cooked the goat.

Elvis assumes that Bela’s soul must still be in Balu Kaka and draws the soul swap symbol on his head. Munjya, now in Balu Kaka’s body, takes Bela away and tries to sacrifice her, but Bittu, guided by Gita's spirit, defeats Munjya by transferring him into the tree, which they burn. In the end, Bittu confesses his feelings to Bela, who values their friendship. Spielberg and Bittu’s cousin Rukku start working together on video shoots. Balu Kaka, who had temporarily hosted the peepal tree's spirit, starts behaving like a tree. The parts of the burnt tree containing Munjya's spirit are transported away, hinting he may still be alive.

In a mid-credits scene, Bhaskar aka Bhediya is stranded naked in a jungle and receives clothes from Jana, including underwear from a brand named "Munni", which is observed by Munjya.

Cast

• Abhay Verma as Bittu

• Sharvari as Bela

• Sathyaraj as Padri

• Mona Singh as Pammi, Bittu's mother

• Suhas Joshi as Gita (Ajii), Bittu's grandmother and Munjya's sister

• Khushi Hajare as Young Gita

• Taranjot Singh as Spielberg

• Ajay Purkar as Balu Kaka

• Bhagyashree Limaye as Rukku

• Ayush Ulagadde as Gotya

• Shruti Marathe as Gotya's mother

• Richard Lovatt as Kuba

• Anay Kamat as Gotya's father

• Padmini Sardesai as Munni Kanitkar a.k.a. "Akka"

• Shrikant Mohan Yadav as Jaggu

• Reema Chaudhary as Mahua

• Rasika Vengurlekar as lady in bus

• Radhika Vidyasagar as Savitri

• Akshay Vengulikar as Bittu's father

• Abhijeet Chavan as doctor

• Abhishek Banerjee as Janardan "Jana", reprises his role from Stree (cameo appearance)

• Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar, reprises his role from Bhediya (cameo appearance)

Production

Talking with Mid-Day, Bhatt discussed the traditional four stages of life in Hinduism: Brahmacharya (student life), Gṛhastha (householder life), Vanaprastha (retirement), and Sannyasa (renunciation). He mentions the Upanayan ceremony known as Munja in Marathi, which marks the beginning of the student phase, and the Sod Munja ceremony, which marks the transition from student life to householder life. Essentially, he's explaining the significance of these ceremonies in the context of life's stages according to Hindu tradition. If a man passes away without getting married after his munja ceremony but before his Sod Munja, he transforms into a Munjya—a spirit dwelling in peepal trees or close to wells. Peepal trees emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide after nightfall, and the apprehension of encountering Munjya deters people from sitting under them after sunset. According to Bhatt, Munjya is perceived as a creature that is both monstrous and childlike due to dying at a young age. Munjya tends to trouble people to fulfill its desires, often fixating on marriage. Munjya's are not usually malevolent; rather, they are seen as immature and petty nuisances. They have a peculiar fondness for throwing stones at individuals standing beneath trees.

Development

Bhatt states that the tale initially entered their sphere through Yogesh Chandekar, who introduced a renowned figure from his region to Maddock Films. Bhatt and Kaushik spent three years to developing the story, conducting research by exploring numerous wadas and orchards in the Dapoli and Ganpatipule regions where Munjya's are said to have been "tied down".Munjya is acclaimed as inaugural CGI film starring an animated character. The film is helmed by Aditya Sarpotdar, explores the legendary creature from Indian folklore, according to a statement from the makers. Sarpotdar and his team, in collaboration with DNEG, spent nearly a year to crafting the eerie and mischievous main character entirely through computer-generated imagery. Sarpotdar explained in an interview with PTI, "Half of the film's budget went into VFX, a significant allocation underscoring its importance. We meticulously developed a CGI creature through extensive research and development to ensure accuracy".

Casting

Abhay Verma has been selected to star alongside Sharvari in the film. Describing her role, Sharvari mentioned, "I play a contemporary woman determined to pursue her dreams above all else, a sentiment many can identify with in today's world. Her dating experiences add to the relatability of the character, resonating with numerous women."The film features Mona Singh, Sathyaraj in other pivotal roles supported by Suhas Joshi. Singh opened her role in the film during an interview with ANI News, she cast in the role of Pammi, the mother of Bittu, played by Abhay. Pammi is depicted as strict and overly protective of her son, leading to a journey marked by various challenges and surprises.The Marathi actress Rasika Vengurlekar was seen in the teaser is playing a supporting role in the film. Radhika Vidyasagar made her film debut, playing the role of housewife in Konkan.

Music

Sachin–Jigar composed the music and score for the film, while "Hai Jamalo" is co-composed by Skeletron. Lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Tracks

No. Title Singer(s) Length

1. "Taras" Jasmine Sandlas, Sumonto Mukherjee, Sachin–Jigar

3:08

2. "Tainu Khabar Nahi" Arijit Singh, Sachin-Jigar

3:08

3. "Hai Jamalo" Nakash Aziz, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Jigar Saraiya 2:29

4. "Lori" Hansika Pareek, Sachin-Jigar 2:58

Total length: 11:43

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.

Bhawna Arya of Times Now rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "In conclusion, Munjya appears to be an entertaining film that successfully combines elements of comedy and horror. While it may not satisfy hardcore horror fans, it promises to be a fun and thrilling ride for those who enjoy a good laugh with their scares." Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Film aces in the technical departments, especially in VFX, camera and SFX with crisp editing. Talking about the performances, everyone in the cast has done a splendid job but it’s a VFX character of Munjya, who has stolen the show. Munjya is a theatrical experience and deserves a watch for its novelty and authenticity."

A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "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." Dhaval Roy of The Times of India rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "The movie leaves some questions unanswered, and certain elements fail 

to add up. Nevertheless, the atmospheric setting, hilarious moments, and engaging performances make it an entertaining watch, especially for viewers seeking a horror- comedy experience with a youthful energy."

Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla rated the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Munjya has redeeming qualities but the irritating monster, formulaic tropes and the outrageous climax make it the horror show that it doesn't intend to be." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 1.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Munjya is the sort of film that you want off your back as desperately as Bittu wants Munjya off his! It outlives its welcome well before it is into its second half. It is easy to see that a great deal of effort has gone into its making. What it yields is hardly commensurate."

Box office

Munja grossed approximately ₹4 crore on its first day and ₹35.30 crore in its first week. In two weeks, it grossed around ₹70 crore. With a production budget of ₹30 crore, the film grossed ₹127.95 crore in India and ₹4.18 crore internationally during its theatrical run, for a total worldwide gross of ₹132.13 crore.