Munjya is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language supernatural horror comedy film directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and produced by Maddock Films. The film is part of Maddock's horror-comedy universe, which also includes Stree, Bhediya and Stree 2. It draws on a folk belief from the Konkan region of Maharashtra concerning the spirit of a young Brahmin boy who dies before the completion of his thread ceremony.
| Title | Munjya |
|---|---|
| Director | Aditya Sarpotdar |
| Producer | Dinesh Vijan (Maddock Films) |
| Writer | Niren Bhatt |
| Language | Hindi |
| Genre | Supernatural horror comedy |
| Release date | 7 June 2024 |
| Lead cast | Abhay Verma, Sharvari Wagh, Mona Singh |
| Production house | Maddock Films |
| Country | India |
The film's premise is rooted in the Konkani and Maharashtrian folk concept of a munjya, the restless ghost of a young Brahmin male who dies between his upanayana (sacred thread ceremony) and his marriage. In traditional belief, the spirit is said to inhabit peepal trees and is associated with isolated, rural settings. The film situates this folklore within a contemporary narrative, using the spirit as both a comic and menacing figure.
The story follows Bittu, a shy young man whose life is disrupted when an ancestral curse linked to a long-dead boy named Gotya manifests in the present. The vengeful spirit, the munjya, attempts to compel Bittu to marry his childhood friend Bela in order to fulfil an unresolved obsession from generations past. The narrative blends horror, humour and themes of family obligation.
The film was produced by Dinesh Vijan under the Maddock Films banner. Visual effects played a central role, as the title creature is a fully computer-generated character. The musical score was composed by Sachin–Jigar, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, including the track Taras. The film was shot on locations evoking the Konkan coastal belt.
Munjya was released theatrically in India on 7 June 2024. The film opened to positive reviews from critics, who praised the integration of regional folklore, the visual effects work on the title character, and the lead performance of Abhay Verma. It performed strongly at the Indian box office despite a modest production budget, and was widely regarded as a sleeper hit of the year. The film was later made available for streaming on Netflix.
Munjya is the third instalment in Maddock Films' shared horror-comedy universe, following Stree (2018) and Bhediya (2022). The film features narrative cues that connect it to the wider universe, and a post-credits sequence links it directly to Stree 2, which followed later in 2024.
The film is notable for bringing a relatively obscure piece of Konkan folklore into mainstream Hindi cinema and for demonstrating the commercial viability of mid-budget, VFX-driven horror-comedies in India. It also strengthened Maddock Films' position as a producer of genre-led franchise cinema and helped establish Aditya Sarpotdar, who has worked across Marathi and Hindi films, as a notable director within the horror-comedy space.