Mrithyunjay – A Decent Crime Thriller

Mrithyunjay is a 2026 Telugu-language action crime thriller written and directed by Sri Hussain Sha Kiran. The film stars Sree Vishnu & Reba Monica John in lead roles, while Veer Aryan, Baby Uha, Sudharshan, Raccha Ravi, Ayyappa, Sijju, Aishwarya, Krishna Karthik, Balaaditya, Nandha Gopal, Satya, Anish Kuruvilla, Chinna, Harsha Vardhan & others appear in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Kaala Bhairava while the film is produced by Sandeep Gunnam & Vinay Chilakapati under Light Box Media & Picture Perfect Entertainment banners.
Story:
Jai (Sree Vishnu) works in a newspaper handling advertisements, but he dreams of becoming a crime reporter and keeps trying for it. As part of his job, he mostly looks for obituary ads for people who have passed away. During one such instance, he notices the daughter of a deceased man (Baby Uha) and is surprised that she doesn’t cry at all, which makes him curious about what really happened to her father.
Around the same time, another man dies, and Jai begins to suspect that these deaths might actually be murders. While investigating, he manages to find some clues about the person behind them, but only learns about his appearance. Jai then approaches police officer Sita (Reba Monica John), who tries to help but doesn’t fully believe him. Meanwhile, someone also attempts to kill Jai as he continues his search for the mysterious murderer. The rest of the story reveals who the killer really is.
What about on-screen performances?
Sree Vishnu delivers an outstanding performance. He stays true to his character and impresses with a very subtle and settled acting style. Even though there aren’t many comedy sequences this time, he fits perfectly into the serious role with the right body language, dialogue delivery, and expressions.
Reba Monica John is excellent and effective as the police officer who helps the hero. She does well in the small action part she has in the latter half. But her role needed a bit more relevance with the core plot and the investigation as well.
Veer Aryan leaves a strong impact with a powerful performance. Appearing calm and composed, he brings life to the role of a calculated killer who carries out murders with precise planning. All his cat-and-mouse portions with the hero will keep us invested in the film.
Sudharshan also stands out by playing a solid character without relying more on comedy.
Baby Uha, Raccha Ravi, Ayyappa, Sijju, Aishwarya, Krishna Karthik, Balaaditya, Nandha Gopal, Satya, Anish Kuruvilla, Chinna, Harsha Vardhan & all others are fine in their limited supporting roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Sri Hussain Sha Kiran is good. With a refreshing crime backdrop, an entertaining mind game between the hero & the villain, decent twists that work well, and a gripping suspense that continues until the end, the plot keeps us well-engaged.
The screenplay is well written. Except for a few scenes in the first half, most of the portions are gripping and will keep our interest going. Another big plus is the absence of songs and comedy scenes, which helps the film stay focused.
The hero is introduced neatly. The scenes between the friends are not upto the mark, and the couple of crime scenes at the start needed more clarity. But from the time the hero discovers a link between the deaths, the story picks up pace and keeps us invested. The whole interval scene is dealt with well and raises curiosity. The first half is watchable. It might have been even better if the film explained a bit more clearly who gave the contract to the killer and how the two victims died.
The second half is intriguing. The mind game between the hero and the villain becomes a major highlight here. The film maintains the tension about what will happen next— an essential quality of investigative thrillers— without losing its grip, and the climax sequences are effective, though the emotional depth in the scenes between the hero and the little girl could have been stronger.
Director Sri Hussain Sha Kiran does an impressive job with his whole presentation. His narration is gripping, and every scene is dealt with neatly without much confusion. Handling such a narrative is like walking on a knife-edge, and the director deserves appreciation for pulling it off well.
The dialogues by Anurag Reddy & Hussain Sha Kiran are effective and add value to the scenes.
The background score by Kaala Bhairava is one of the biggest strengths of the film. His score gels well with its genre and enhances the tension. There are no songs in the film except for one during the end titles, which is good.
The cinematography by Vidya Sagar Chinta is brilliant. All his frames are perfect, and his lighting is impressive too.
Sreekar Prasad’s editing also deserves appreciation, as the film is sharply cut within just two hours without any unnecessary scenes.
The production design by Manisha A Dutt, the artwork by Ravi Kumar Mundru and the costumes by Sri Vidya P are first-rate.
The production values by Light Box Media & Picture Perfect Entertainment are adequate.
What’s Hot?
* Sree Vishnu’s Performance
* Veer Aryan’s Performance
* Engaging Narrative & Thrilling Second Half
* Good Interval Scene & Pre-Climax Portions
* Superb Background Score
* Impressive Editing
* Cinematography & Production Values
What’s Not?
* Few Convenient Writing Choices
* Needed More Emotional Depth
* Investigation Part Needed More Relevance
Verdict: Overall, Mrithyunjay is a decent crime thriller and will definitely appeal to those who enjoy taut investigative thrillers. Even though Sree Vishnu’s last week’s release didn’t make much impact, this week he seems to have made a decent comeback with a solid film.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 3/5
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