Maddock Supernatural Universe kicked off with Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor starrer Stree (2018), which set a precedent for horror-comedies in Bollywood. It was followed by Roohi and Bhediya, which was inspired by the legend of the Yapum in Arunachal Pradesh. And now, the fourth film in Maddock Supernatural Universe titled Munjya is all set for its release. It features a CGI character and revolves around the legend of Munjya, inspired by Indian folklore and mythology.
For the unversed, all the films in this universe are known to coincide with one another through characters and themes. Abhishek Banerjee along with Shraddha, Rajkummar, and Aparshakti Khurana reprise their roles from Stree in Bhediya. Stree 2, which is slated for a release in August this year, will also see Varun Dhawan reprising his Bhediya character in it.
Needless to say, fan theories poured in at large when the trailer of Munjya starring Mona Singh, Sharvari, and Abhay Verma was unveiled. Audiences noticed a character named Munni in its trailer, which they began to speculate could be an appearance by Shraddha. Interestingly, the name of Shraddha’s character in Stree remains a mystery to this date.
Fans have also been wondering if Varun will be a part of Munjya. What added fuel to the fire was a post by Sharvari that also featured him. She captioned it as ‘Bhediya wants to know who is #Munjya’s Munni.’ Soon, many theories began floating around. But seems like we finally have some answers. In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, director of Munjya Aditya Sarpotdar clears the air and states that there’s no interrelation between his film and Stree.
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He tells us, “A lot of people said that our film is like a prequel to Stree or a sequel to Stree 2. There were a lot of fan theories. Some even felt like there’s a separate Stree universe and Munjya is a part of it. Making a prequel or a sequel to a hit film is tough and our film isn’t either.” But he’s quick to add since there’s a similar core theme running among all the films in the horror-comedy universe, there may be some overlaps in Munjya too. “There could be connections in my films too. You’ll come to know of that when you see it,” he hints.
And does the social media post featuring Varun and Sharvari imply that there might be a cameo by Bhediya’s Bhasker in Munjya? “Do you really think I’m going to give it away? I’m not (laughs)! That’s the exciting part of a franchise film,” states the Mauli and Zombivli director.
Quiz him about the challenges of making a franchise film and Aditya says, “I love watching them if they play out well. I firmly believe that a franchise will work only if the films are good, independently. An average film won’t really help the franchise and if you don’t make a good film, it can even end a franchise. With Munjya, the attempt was to make a film that’s true to India, the folklore and the character of Munjya.”
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