EXCLUSIVE: Aditya Sarpotdar says Munjya aims to live up to Stree legacy; calls Shraddha Kapoor starrer “trendsetter film” in horror-comedies : Bollywood News

Munjya, the latest addition to Maddock Films' supernatural universe, hit theatres today, June 7. The film has garnered positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. In an exclusive pre-release interview with Bollywood Hungama, director Aditya Sarpotdar discussed the inspiration behind Munjya and the significant influence of the studio's previous horror-comedy successes.

EXCLUSIVE: Aditya Sarpotdar says Munjya aims to live up to Stree legacy; calls Shraddha Kapoor starrer “trendsetter film” in horror-comedies

When asked if films like Stree, Roohi, and Bhediya played a role in his decision to helm Munjya, the acclaimed Marathi filmmaker readily agreed. He spoke about the groundbreaking nature of Stree, stating, "Stree and Bhediya have defined what horror comedies should be. And I think after that, so many horror comedies are attempted in India."

Aditya acknowledged Stree's trend-setting impact, highlighting its status as a benchmark within the genre. He explains, "Stree was a trend-setting film, and I think after that, whatever Maddock has attempted, Stree has always been a benchmark."

The director acknowledged the pressure associated with following Stree's success. He explained the importance of meeting audience expectations established by the earlier film. "When we're attempting to make Munjya, which is in the same genre, it is a responsibility to have the audience's expectations from the film match up somewhere, at least to Stree."

Munjya's creative vision aimed to deliver a similar experience to the one Stree offered audiences in theatres. Sarpotdar elaborated, "When we bring a Munjya, we know that the genre is so similar, we actually have to give that same experience that Stree delivered when it was released. The attempt has always been to recreate that experience in the theatre."

Interestingly, Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, the leads from Stree and Bhediya respectively, even make cameo appearances in Munjya. The film stars newcomers Sharvari Wagh and Abhay Varma alongside established actors Mona Singh and Sathyaraj.

Speaking of Munjya's VFX, it is handled by Prime Focus Group, known for their work in films like Kalki and Fighter. It took more than a year to create the eerie and mischievous protagonist from scratch using cutting-edge computer-generated imagery (CGI) for Munjya.

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