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Munjya

Farhad Dalal
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
3 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

This is my second horror-comedy film of the week and you can clearly guess that this genre is now here to stay! It was way back in 2018 when the world saw a top contender for one of the best horror-comedies of the decade in the form of Stree. Not only did Stree play on a chilling folklore but it also accounted for several laughs along the way that resulted in it being a cult. And thus the Stree horror-comedy universe was formed with the likes of Roohi and Bhediya that followed, the latter particularly being a good film that unfortunately underperformed at the Box Office. Yet, this universe with its variety of chilling obstacles was well and truly kicking, thereby making me curious on how the universe would eventually shape up. And next in line was another horror-comedy titled Munjya.

One of the reasons why I was looking forward to watching Munjya was because it was directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, the maker behind films like Unaad and particularly Zombivli. For folks who aren’t aware, Zombivli was one of the better Zombie comedies that had a wonderful premise while also balancing the horror elements with dollops of humour. So here was a maker who had a past record of serving up a nice little horror comedy, and helming another one here in the form of Munjya. So then does Munjya manage to impress, let’s find out.

Story & Screenplay

Munjya follows the story of a creature who is an obsessive lover who returns to seek revenge for his love. Now I was instantly on the fence as far as the story is concerned. This is because the writing did involve a sense of folklore which was very well done and contributed phenomenally well with the horror. Yet when it did come to comedy, the writing was a bit of a swing and a miss. This made me realise that perhaps the script here did not warrant for a horror-comedy, and I wonder if the writers could have stuck just with the horror elements. The bargain may have been that this then would not have been a part of the Stree universe, but the film may have worked better in totality just with this minor tweak in the genre. This is not to say that the film is bad, in fact it is engaging for most parts but the humour here felt a little forced and didn’t always land throughout the screenplay standing at just above 2 hours.

The drama has a promising premise featuring a devilish character in the form of a young boy who is an obsessive lover. In a turn of events and in the wake of a potential sacrifice underway, he loses his life thus forming the base of a perfect folklore! The writers do so well in playing with the ambience of the area and creating a sense of fear in the minds of the viewers which was reminded me of the phenomenal film Tumbbad that was incidently set in a similar area. This premise was enough to gather the interest of the viewers until the drama skips timelined with the introduction of the protagonist and the principal characters around him. The comedy in the first act was a clear swing and a miss and it made me want to fast forward the film to the good part which lay in the horror elements.

The proceedings are decently engaging with a decent sense of mystery surrounding the narrative. But every now and then, the silliness of the humour momentarily loses the focus of the main plot. Had the tone been serious throughout at the script level, this film had the potential to have an even higher impact. This is particularly true when the story shifts back to the village where the saga had started. And in the wake of the mystery that was surrounding the narrative, a twist in the tale does lead to the protagonist behaving awkwardly. It was in this pre-interval portion where the comedy does in fact work with the Baazigar reference that I found hilarious. The twist at the halfway mark was again interesting amidst a budding love story but I could slowly make out that the writing was running a little thin, the repercussions of which are reflected in the second hour.

I must say that there was a renewed sense of urgency in the second hour although the humour again goes back to being silly, only working in parts. And while the chain of events do spring up a surprise with its horror elements every now and then, the writing was a little thin and one-dimensional whereas the reality was that there could have been a little more focus on the folklore that continued to remain the most fascinating part of the story. The chain of events are nevertheless entertaining with never a dull moment that carries on until a simplistic but decent final act. Here I must say that the all important mid credit scene was quite good, so don’t miss that at any cost! Overall, the screenplay here is decently well penned that scores with its horror but swings and misses with the comedy.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are adequate and account for a playful watch of sorts. The music is good and definitely goes well with the mood of the drama. The BGM is even better almost creating an ambience of intrigue, although the sound was overpowering the lines at certain instances. The cinematography captured the spooky landscapes of Konkan beautifully, something that added texture to the drama as well. Even portions of the city of Pune was captured rather well wherein I felt the vibe of the drama quite positively. The editing is quite good while accounting for a pretty taut and a crisp watch. Director Aditya Sarpotdar does a good job here but his prowess of creating a horrifying ambience overpowered the comedic portions of the film. You could see flashes of brilliance in that incredible opening act which made me believe that the maker was fully in control of the world that he was trying to create. If not for the hit and a miss brand of comedy, the direction really shines throughout the narrative.

Performances

The performances are pretty good here although not all actors are used to their full potential. Sathyaraj is good but terribly under utilized here. Reema Chaudhary has her moments to shine in that hilarious scene featuring her feeding an elderly lady. Ajay Purkar as the annoying uncle of the protagonist is such a fine actor that he easily sinks his teeth in his character. So while he may not be really affable, he is terrific throughout the film particularly in the final act. Taran Singh as Spielberg is decent and does a good job. Bhagyashree Limaye is incredibly good and definitely leaves a lasting impression. Suhasini Joshi delivers a performance filled with warmth. Mona Singh as Pammi is fiery in a job well done although I did feel that her character was underwritten. Sharvari as Bela looks really pretty and literally comes alive in the second hour in what was a supeeb performance. Her screen presence was radiant that also helped to elevate her performance. Abhay Verma as Bittu does a good job as well and he does rise above the slightly one note character that may have originally been penned on paper.

Conclusion

Munjya is a decent horror comedy that scores well with the ambience it creates with the horror elements and folklore, while the comedy remains a hit and a miss. It still accounts for a decent watch overall. Also, do not miss the mid credits scene here! Available in a theatre near you.

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