Mrithyunjay Movie Review

Sree Vishnu found himself in a tricky situation a few weeks ago when two of his movies, Vishnu Vinyasam and Mrithyunjay, were scheduled to release on the same date, 27th February, due to a pre-agreement with the OTT platforms that had bought both films. Later, both parties reached an amicable agreement and decided to release both movies within a week of each other. Vishnu Vinyasam, a romantic comedy, was released last Friday but proved to be a forgettable outing for Sree Vishnu. Meanwhile, Mrithyunjay, an investigative thriller directed by Hussain Sha Kiran, a director with only two films to his name, was released in theatres today. Did Sree Vishnu rebound quickly after last week’s poor performance with Vishnu Vinyasam? Did director Hussain Sha Kiran deliver a gripping thriller? How did music director Kaala Bhairava score for the film? Did Sandeep Gunnam, the executive producer of NTR’s Jai Lava Kusa and Devara, produce a hit? Let’s explore these questions through a detailed analysis.

What is it about?

Mrithyunjay, aka Jay (Sree Vishnu), works at a news agency with aspirations to become a crime reporter. To prove his abilities to his boss and a colleague who undermines him, he begins investigating the suspicious death of Vikranth, a bank employee. During his investigation, Jay notices similarities between Vikranth’s death and that of Achyuth Sharma (Baladitya), a middle-class man. He eventually learns of a mysterious man (Veer Aaryan) and suspects this man’s connection to both deaths. Who is the mysterious man? Is there a conspiracy behind the deaths? Why did Jay suspect him? How did Jay solve the mystery? How did Reba Monica John’s police officer assist him? These questions form the rest of the story.

Performances:

Sree Vishnu performed adequately in a role that demanded restraint. He toned down his usual energetic style and delivered a subtle performance appropriate for his character. Reba Monica John also did an okay job, despite her role being poorly written. Veer Aaryan was sufficient as the mysterious man; he looked tough, but his performance lacked depth.

Senior actor Chinna made a noticeable impact, while Baladitya, in a limited yet pivotal role, delivered a good performance. Racha Ravi, Sudarshan, and Ayyappa P. Sharma, as part of the friend group, provided comic relief at times. Senior actress Aishwariyaa, playing Jay’s aunt, also offered a competent performance.

Technical Aspects:

Though occasionally appearing out of sync, Kaala Bhairava’s background score added life to many dull moments, trying to excite the audience. Vidya Sagar Chinta’s cinematography is a significant highlight, especially during the opening, interval, and rain sequences, which deserve special mention.

Sreekar Prasad’s editing could have been improved, particularly in the second half. Despite a runtime of just over two hours, there were repetitive sequences stronger in the latter half. A major flaw is the inconsistent dubbing; at times, it seemed the team relied on sync sound without investing enough effort into dubbing, leading to unclear dialogues at many places. Let’s discuss the director Sri Hussain Sha Kiran’s work in the analysis section in detail.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠Cinematography
2.⁠ ⁠A Few engaging moments

Negatives:

1.⁠ Writing
2.⁠ ⁠Predictable execution
3.⁠ ⁠Inconsistent dubbing

Analysis:

Until a few years ago, audiences used to appreciate decently made investigative thrillers, mainly because filmmakers ‘intent’ to do something different from typical commercial films. However, the COVID lockdowns shifted audience perception. During COVID, the audience’s exposure to world cinema through platforms like Netflix has increased leaps and bounds. Without sharp writing and compelling execution, it has become difficult to impress audiences. Director, Sri Hussain Sha Kiran and his team aimed to create a different experience with Mrithyunjay, but mere ‘intent’ cannot help a film to win audience hearts. It requires razor-sharp writing and gripping narration throughout and it is where, Mrithyunjay, failed.

The film opened with an interesting sequence to draw the attention of the audience instantly and then get into the zone of emotional drama, an introduction song for the lead character and a few comedy sequences. This is a very repetitive mistake that most of our filmmakers commit. Instead of driving the proceedings of an investigative thriller film, around the core point, why do filmmakers include unnecessary comedy, melodrama and out-of-sync hero elevation sequences? The writing in most parts of the investigative drama was predictable and unexciting. For every five to ten minutes, the characters in the film praise the lead character with the phrase – ‘How did you think in such an intelligent manner?’ and the protagonist and antagonist keep praising each other with the phrase – ‘You outsmarted me’. Unfortunately, the audience did not feel the same. The entire screenplay around the investigative drama is very convenient and you can guess almost everything if you have a little bit of experience in watching whodunnit movies.

As long as the proceedings were around the investigative drama, the film was watchable. The twist during the pre-interval sequence was also fairly interesting. But, in the second half, the film completely turned into a cat-and-mouse drama between the protagonist and antagonist. It is where the film lost its track completely. All we get to see in the second half are the predictable mind games and excessive slow-motion shots of the hero and villain. The team tried their best to excite the audience by using Kaala Bhairava’s background score but it did not work. Background score can enhance the viewing experience when a film is made in a compelling manner but it alone cannot pull off a film that is not so well written and executed.

Overall, the makers of Mrithyunjay, should be appreciated for their intent to give a unique viewing experience to the audience but that is about it. Unexciting writing, very few thrilling moments and unnecessary commercial elements, worked against the film.

Final Verdict – Few Thrills Jay

Rating – 2.5/5