Directed by Marathi filmmaker Aditya Sarportdar, Munjya is a horror-comedy that stars Abhay Verma (of The Family Man fame) and Sharvari Wagh. The film is inspired by the folklore of Brahmarakshas in the coastal villages of Konkan. Munjya is said to be the mischievous spirit of a young Brahmin boy who dies before his mundan ceremony. In the film, the spirit belongs to the protagonist Bittoo's grand-uncle, who died while attempting a black magic ritual to win over his older crush, Munni. Munjya Movie Review: Humour and Horror Come in Half-Measures in Abhay Verma and Sharvari Wagh's Supernatural Comedy.

Years later, due to a certain situation, Munjya latches onto Bittoo, torturing and coercing him into finding Munni. While Bittoo and his cousin 'Spielberg' eventually find Munjya's 'Munni', Munjya loses interest in her and finds a new target. Sharvari plays Bela, Bittoo's childhood friend and crush, who is older than him, while Mona Singh plays his mother. Sathyaraj plays Elvis Karim Prabhakar, an occultist and conman, who helps Bittoo with procedures to kill Munjya.

Munjya is set in the same universe as Stree and Bhediya—collectively known as the Maddock Supernatural Universe (which also includes the 2021 film Roohi, though it is not connected to these films). This connection is established in the mid-credit scene. But before that, we must explain how the events of the finale lead to that scene. Warning - MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. Do not read if you are yet to watch Munjya.

Munjya is Beaten!

The film begins with the famous GK Chesterton quote, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." This quote holds true in the climax of the film, where Munjya, who terrorised Bittoo, his family and friends, and killed his Ajji (also Munjya's sister), finally gets his comeuppance. Bittoo overcomes his fears, aided by either hallucinating his dead grandma or her actual spirit coming to his rescue.

Watch the Trailer of Munjya:

Somehow, fate intervenes to bring back his Ajji's cane, which had been lost in the tide but is carried back by the waves to Bittoo. Meanwhile, Munjya, in his uncle's body, has carried away Bela. Bittoo attacks his possessed uncle with the cane, and through the beatings, he manages to draw the 'Z' icon present on the tree where Munjya's bones are buried. The spirit leaves his uncle's body and is captured in the tree, but still manages to trouble Bittoo and Bela. Through a united effort, Bittoo and Bela set the tree on fire, seemingly killing Munjya within.

Munjya Is Back!

The epilogue sees Bela taking time for herself to go abroad, but not before Bittoo confesses his feelings for her. Even though Bela keeps him in the friendzone, Bittoo is content being her friend, living with the hope that she will return to him. His Punjabi cousin, Spielberg, has better luck with romance as he manages to woo his infatuation, Bittoo's Marathi cousin Rukku, and they are both seen trying to bring clients for their videography business.

While walking down the street from the market, similar to his intro scene, Bittoo thinks he sees his Ajji's spirit, but she vanishes. Later, while turning around a corner, he hears Munjya's raspy whisper to our utter confusion. Bittoo, who seems to be anticipating Munjya's return, is prepared as he brings out his Ajji's cane.

Watch the "Taras" Song:

So how did Munjya return? During the seductive "Taras" song played in the end-credits, we see visuals of Chentukwadi, Munjya's abode, where his burnt tree is being cut down. It looks like Bittoo's uncle finally managed to sell the place. Since the tree is cut down, this seems to have facilitated Munjya's escape.

Bhediya Returns

Munjya is not the only monster to return. There is also a mid-credit scene, where we see a very familiar character walking through a forest in the same region as Munjya's abode, calling out 'Huskey'. That character turns out to be Jana, Abhishek Banerjee's character from Stree and Bhediya, and he is not alone. The person he is calling is actually Bhaskar, Varun Dhawan's character from Bhediya who is afflicted with the werewolf curse. Munjya: Varun Dhawan Cameos As ‘Bhediya’ in Abhay Verma-Sharvari Wagh’s Film – Reports.

We then see Bhaskar, who is hiding behind a boulder, naked presumably after a nightly episode of being a werewolf. Jana has brought clothes for him, which include underwear that reads 'Munni' on the label. As Bhaskar reads that name loud, the scene then cuts to a now-alive Munjya, who is excited upon hearing his crush's name and then leaps onto the screen, likely going to attack Bhaskar and Jana.

What Does This Mean for Stree-verse?

Stree 2 is releasing on August 31, 2024, and we know that Abhishek Banerjee is returning for the sequel, along with the film's other principal cast—Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurana. There is also a strong rumour that Varun Dhawan will make a cameo in the film. The crossover between these films was first established in the mid-credit scene of Bhediya, which confirmed that Abhishek's character, who was Bhaskar's BFF, is the same character we saw him play in Stree when his old friends, played by Rao and Khurana, return to meet him for a mysterious purpose around 'Stree'. Bhediya Ending Explained: How Abhishek Banerjee and Two Surprise Cameos Connect Varun Dhawan-Kriti Sanon's Film to Stree-Universe!

Watch the Leaked Mid-Credit Scene of Bhediya:

Now that we see Jana and Bhaskar in a forest in Konkan, we wonder whether it has something to do with that visit. Let's not forget Jana and Bhaskar were in the North-East during the events of Bhediya, while the events of Stree were happening in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh. So what made Jana and Bhaskar travel to Konkan? While the mid-credit scene suggests that Munjya might also return for a future film, there is a possibility that Bittoo and Elvis Karim Prabhakar may also return, as we have a feeling that the franchise is not done with them yet. Whether it will be in Stree 2 or in some other movie remains to be seen. By the way, what happened to the rumoured Vampires of Vijay Nagar, which was supposedly starring Aayushmann Khurrana?

PS: Maddock Films' best horror-comedy to date, Go Goa Gone, also exists in this universe, however, as a movie. What a shame! It would have been fun to see Kunal Kemmu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari and Saif Ali Khan's characters interact with these characters while also bringing in their zombie troubles to the Stree-verse!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 08, 2024 10:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).