Maa Cast/Actors: Kajol, Ronit Roy, Indraneil Sengupta, Kherin Sharma & Others
Maa Movie Director: Vishal Furia
Maa Movie Production House: Devgn Films, Jio Studios & Panorama Studios
Maa Movie Release Date: 27th June, 2025
Maa Movie Available On: Theatrical Release and (likely to be released on Netflix OTT Platform)
Maa Movie Released/Available In Languages: Hindi
Maa Movie Runtime: 2h 15m
Maa Movie Critic Review:
It takes off with the right atmospherics for horror with masks, frenzied dancing, a sprawling haveli and monstrous trees. Topped with the chilling sacrifice of a newborn female infant.
Written by Ajit Jagtap, Aamil Keeyan Khan and Saiwyn Quadras, director Vishal Furia sets the supernatural horror in Chandrapur, a village in Bengal. And packs it with actors who are snug in a Bengali setting.
Ambika (Kajol) and Shuvankar (Indraneil Sengupta) have studiously avoided visiting or even mentioning the horrific secrets of his birthplace to 12-year-old daughter Shweta (Kherin Sharma). But when Shuvankar gets a call that his father has passed away, he has to revisit the eerie family home.
With it, the horrors are unleashed. Beginning with Shuvankar’s unnatural death. And, a few months later, Ambika and Shweta being forced to drive down to dispose of the property.
Trees with faces, trees with octopus-like limbs that reach out, strangle and suspend victims in mid-air.
Scary faces that bang on car windows.
Villagers in the grip of terrifying demons, a rakshash or two on the loose.
Teenage girls who attain puberty disappearing and reappearing, their menstrual cycle blocked beyond medical comprehension.
In the midst are Ambika and Shweta with only a small family of retainers and the ever-solicitous Joydas (Ronit Roy), the village sarpanch.
But Ambika has spunk, the mother in her at the fore, to protect Shweta from whatever is out there targeting the teenager.
All of this plus Maa Kali prominently in the background and Kajol in great form could have made a gripping tale of horror.
Except that Vishal Furia binges on tropes (the blood curdling wail of babies in the BG, ominous faces, noises and those monster trees), paying little attention to an engrossing narration.
By the time the obvious human devil who has orchestrated Ambika and Shweta’s stay in Chandrapur, steps forward, and Ambika delivers a long monologue to explain the backstory of why Shweta had to be kept away all these years, viewer interest has faded.
We get it that supernatural phenomena cannot have logical explanations.
But focussing on the power of a mother to overcome demons and devils is not enough. A lot of the goings-on (like menstrual periods getting blocked, Shweta’s tree sketch) don’t make sense with the overdose of tropes that drown all else.
Mothers are protective tigresses. The doff to mothers in the end credits (where every person’s real-life mother gets a mention) is laudable too. Kajol is terrific, some of her smart-casual wear (costumes: Radhika Mehra) is also stylish. But honestly, mothers deserved a better film.
This is not a spiffy addition to the horror universe created by Shaitaan.
Maa Watch Or Not?: Wait for it to stream on an OTT platform where fast forward options are available.
Maa Review Score Rating: 2 out of 5 (i.e. 2/5)
Maa Official Trailer:
Credits: Jio Studios
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