Movie: Mrithyunjay
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: Lightbox media and Picture Perfect Entertainment
Cast: Sree Vishnu, Reba Monica John, Baby Uha, Sudharshan, Raccha Ravi, Ayyappa, Sijju, Aishwarya, Balaaditya, Krishna Koushik, Nandha Gopal, Mirchi Madhavi and others
Music: Kaala Bhairava
DOP: Vidya Sagar Chinta
Editor: Sreekar Prasad
Production Designer: Manisha A Dutt
Producers: Sandeep Gunnam & Vinay Chilakapati
Written & Directed by: Sri Hussain Sha Kiran
Release Date: Mar 6, 2026
Sree Vishnu last week came up with the comedy drama Vishnu Vinyasam. Within a week, he is back in theaters with a completely different genre film, the investigative thriller Mrithyunjay.
Let’s find out its merits and demerits.
Story
Jay (Sree Vishnu) works in the sales department of a newspaper called Swecha, but his ambition is to become a crime reporter. His interest in crime stories leads him to notice two unusual deaths that appear similar. Suspecting that they might be murders, Jay begins digging deeper.
Meanwhile, ACP Seetha (Reba Monica John) dismisses the cases as accidents due to pressure from her superiors. Jay, however, continues his investigation. Will he be able to track down the mysterious person operating from the shadows?
The rest of the drama unfolds as a cat-and-mouse game between Jay and the killer.
Artistes’ Performances
Sree Vishnu has the ability to slip naturally into his characters. Since this role demands a serious tone, he avoids his usual comic touches. As a man driven by his past and his interest in crime investigation, Sree Vishnu portrays the character with conviction. He also gets a couple of moments that provide him to scope to shine as a hero. Interestingly, the film does not include a romantic track for his character.
Reba Monica John plays the role of a cop neatly. Her role is limited. Nandagopal, who plays the main villain, does justice to his part.
Sudharshan, Ayyappa Sharma and Racha Ravi appear as Sree Vishnu’s friends and not effective.
Technical Excellence
The background score by Kaala Bhairava is mediocre. It doesn't build any engaging mood. The cinematography is ok.
The film has a crisp runtime of a little over two hours, which works in its favor. Production design and overall production values are adequate for the story.
Highlights:
The cat and mouse game
The interval bang
The engaging narration in the latter half
Drawback:
Too many logical issues in the plot
Contrived writing
Less engaging initial moments
Convenient sequences
Analysis
Thrillers and investigative dramas work best when they are narrated in an engaging manner and keep the runtime tight. In the case of “Mrithyunjay,” the crisp runtime works as a major advantage. As for the engagement factor, the film does hold interest, but the numerous logical issues throughout the narrative are hard to ignore. Had the plot loopholes been addressed properly, it could have turned out to be a much better thriller.
That said, despite these issues, the film manages to keep the audience watching till the end.
The pace improves significantly from the interval onwards. The film begins on a dull note, but things start getting interesting when Sree Vishnu’s character realizes that the killer might be rehearsing one murder before committing another. When he begins searching for the suspect who could be living in an apartment complex, the narrative gains momentum.
The film reveals the villain’s identity to the audience quite early. The second half then revolves around the hero trying to track down the killer even though viewers already know who the culprit is. This cat-and-mouse style of narration works well for the film. Writer-director Hussain Shah Kiran, who earlier worked with Sukumar, shows skill in crafting engaging moments in the latter half. However, the biggest drawback lies in the lack of logic in several sequences.
For instance, in one scene the villain causes a gas leak in the hero’s room. The hero does not enter the room that day, but several days later a constable steps in and the room explodes. It raises a basic question about how long the gas cylinder could keep leaking. This is just one example. There are several such loopholes, but detailing them would lead to spoilers.
While the film benefits from sticking to the thriller format, its short runtime, and Sree Vishnu avoiding his usual comic style, the lack of a tightly written narrative becomes a drawback.
Overall, “Mrithyunjay” ends up as a weakly made investigative thriller. It might offer a better viewing experience on OTT, as such thrillers often work well on streaming platforms. Those who enjoy simple thrillers in theatres may still find it okay, but they should be prepared for the logical flaws.
Mrithyunjay offers a partly engaging crime drama, supported by Sree Vishnu’s performance but weakened by convenient writing choices. The positive aspect of the film is that it sticks to the genre and avoids unnecessary commercial elements like forced romance with the female lead or anti-gravity action sequences.
Bottom-line: Diluted thrill
