‘Mithya’ movie review: Sumanth Bhat’s debut is a moving reflection of a troubled childhood

Athish Shetty in ‘Mithya’.
| Photo Credit: Paramvah Studios/YouTube

In Sumanth Bhat’s Mithya, Mithun, a.k.a Mithya (Athish Shetty), is hesitant to move forward as he stands alone and stares at his new house. The poignant Kannada film, which premiered at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023, has several scenes like this that depict the 11-year-old boy’s loneliness. Cinematographer Udit Khurana uses wide frames to convey the empty feeling experienced by Mithya in places as vast as a beach or a playground.

Mithya is an antithesis to films that romanticise the idea of childhood and adolescence. Mithya’s life gets complex when he moves to Udupi district in Karnataka from Mumbai following the demise of his parents in quick succession. He lives with his uncle and aunt (essayed by Prakash Thuminad and Roopa Varkady), and his cousins.

The youngster fights a cluttered mind as he adjusts to the new environment. If Mithya could express his thoughts with no inhibition, perhaps he would tell you how much he detests life. But you don’t expect maturity from a child. He is still grappling with the reality of abruptly leaving his Marathi-speaking friends and finding new friends at a Kannada medium school. However, this is a smaller hurdle, compared to how he has to deal with society’s suspicion towards his parents’ death, with his mother blamed for being an evil woman.

The film grows on you organically as Sumanth unravels the curiosities of an adolescent mind. Mithya has a hostile relationship with his younger sister, Vandhana (played by an adorable Avish Shetty). The sibling rivalry, an integral part of growing up, is portrayed effectively. Sumanth writes realistic scenes. A family tries to stay united amid all the problems, and Prakash Thuminad and Roopa Varkady deliver realistic performances as genuinely concerned parents.

Athish is the soul of Mithya. His moving performance gets captured with many close-up shots. Throughout the film, he is one step away from releasing his pent-up emotions, and when he finally lets go of his frustration, one can’t help but care for his plight.

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The film has many silent moments. Even conversations between Mithya and his uncle are interrupted by silent pauses. The scenes make us feel like seeing real people controlling a rush of emotions amid difficult conversations. Mithya ends with a soothing score from Midhun Mukundan, and that’s a perfect ending to a film that shows the harsh realities of a troubled childhood. Not many films, like Mithya, can achieve fitting closures.

Mithya is currently running in theatres