A haunting portrait of belonging and childhood trauma

ILMS handling themes such as love and its emotional struggles are commonplace.

- A SHARADHAA

Mithya is one of the few films that navigates into the pain and discomfort of growing up in adolescence.

The film is a quiet, yet, deeply affecting portrayal of a displaced child struggling to make sense of a world that feels alien. It does not offer easy resolutions, nor does it romanticize trauma.

Instead, it invites us into the fractured psyche of an 11-year-old boy, forcing us to confront the raw, tangled emotions that come with grief, anger, and reluctant acceptance.

The film doesn't wait much to show Mithun / Mithya (Athish Shetty) overburdened with the loss of grief of being brought from Mumbai to Udupi.

This sensitive portrayal of his struggle captures a boy torn between a past he cherishes and a future he refuses to embrace.

More than just a coming-of-age story, it is a tale of deep-seated trauma, misplaced anger, and the slow, painful journey toward acceptance, crafted by writer and director Sumanth Bhat.

Having lost both parents, Mithya is uprooted from Mumbai and placed under the care of relatives.

But Udupi's coastal world feels alien to him.

Though he is told this is his new habitat and home, to him it's simply a place he is thrown into.

He's okay living with his aunt (Roopa Varkady), uncle (Prakash Thumminad), and their daughter Anu.

However, the presence of the three-year-old Vandana triggers emotions he can't fully come to grips with.

Vandana, too, like him, is adopted into this home.

Her presence acts as a constant reminder to Mithya that he cannot have a lot of things in life under his control.

Sumanth Bhat stays true to his storytelling, using the plot as a vehicle to explore his protagonist.