Mithya

I am not a fan of Kannada movies in general (not due to language but because of the quality of the movies). I am a fan of good movies, and this is a good movie.

I went into the movie thinking this would be similar to Tare Zameen Par but without the dyslexia and more darker, but honestly the movie turned out to be much different for good reasons, much deeper, and also very grounded. It is a story of a young boy with a troubled past, but also a story of domestic abuse, family dynamics of power and money hungry relatives, rural India's beauty, challenges of learning new languages, adoption, loneliness, depression, etc. Also kudos to the director Sumanth Bhat for meeting the audience after the movie finished in the multiplex I attended. The ending was somewhat predictable, but it didn't ruin the experience for me.

Mithya makes you feel in ways words can't fully capture. Directed with stunning sensitivity, Mithya is less a story and more of a visual poem on loss, guilt, and childhood resilience. Instead of the usual melodrama or big emotional speeches, Mithya conveys grief through small actions with emotional subtlety. Conversations are minimal, yet emotions flow through empty frames-wide, lingering shots that beautifully evoke the boy's loneliness and isolation. The use of mirrors throughout the film is masterful too, subtly symbolizing a boy trying to find himself. The cinematography deserves special acclaim. Every frame feels deliberate-from the rain-drenched streets to the reflections in puddles and windows-all echoing the boy's inner turmoil. It's no exaggeration to say Mithya is Oscar 2026-worthy in categories like Best International Feature Film and Best Cinematography, and deserves stronger international exposure.

The cast and crew of the Kannada Industry have made another masterpiece that explains about Mithun, an adolescent kid who is processing his parents' irreparable actions, understanding his responsibility towards his sister, and adapting to his new home. His anger and rage make him fight, steal, and be mute. He goes through a cycle of emotions from being mute to forgiving his parents.

Well-made movie, with subtle background music, very nice casting, and the scenic beauty of rural India.

This movie conveys the importance of the family system and the importance of our immediate relatives, who are nothing short of our family.

While, on the whole, movie is almost flawless in the departments of camera, acting, music, dialogues, what I liked most was the unwavering viewpoint that the movie holds, offering always the perspective of the 11 year old boy.

It makes us get under his skin and realize what he is going through every moment and every frame. Amazing.

Various stages of trauma the boy undergoes is well captured. Despite being a slow movie, the underlying tension is always palpable.

This is one movie where the ceiling fan has a role to play and it plays it well. Only when you watch the movie carefully, will you notice this.

Only negative I felt was, the episode of the mentally disturbed boy in the shelter home and the related frames - it's avoidable.

Overall, an amazing movie, worth a watch. In fact, I am planning to watch it once more.

Mithun is an 11 year old boy who has just lost his parents. Along with his sister Vandana, he moves into his maternal aunt's place in Udupi and it's a new world he has moved into after having just witnessed his own world being shattered. As he paces himself into the new life at a new place, the film focuses on the hardships of Mithun and how the family tensions push him into certain situations that makes it even more harder for him to process his grief. How does it impact him and mainly, to what extent does these experiences push him, forms rest of the story.

It is commendable that Sumanth Bhat has chosen to narrate this deeply personal tale of grief through the life of an 11 year old. The performances of the kids alone leave a lasting impact. With a short runtime, the film packs in a lot and yet doesn't lose focus on Mithun. He is the primary character and the story revolves around him including the sub plots. There is a mention of his parents death and the marital tension they had, the topic of adoption of a child and even the court case claiming custody of Mithun, all of it is too much for a boy to understand yet his anger is directed towards the one thing that he deemed to have been the cause. The final act is a solid one despite being dramatic and the kids pull it off. Definitely recommended.