Devgn Films and Jio Studios’ Maa (UA) is the story of a determined mother to save her daughter from disaster.
Ambika (Kajol) and Shuvankar (Indraneil Sengupta) are married and have a school-going daughter, Shweta (Kherin Sharma). Shuvankar visits his home town, Chanderpur, after many years, on receiving the news of his father’s demise. Since there’s nobody else from his family alive, Shuvankar tells friend Joydev (Ronit Bose Roy) that he’d like to sell his ancestral home. While driving back home the same night, Shuvankar is killed under mysterious circumstances. His death is assumed to be an accident.
Some months later, Joydev invites Ambika to Chanderpur as a real estate broker has shown interest in the ancestral home. Ambika, who takes daughter Shweta along, is horrified at the things happening in Chanderpur. She learns that girls are abducted on attaining puberty and they return to their homes after a few days, but they then stop getting their periods. As bad luck would have it, Shweta gets her periods while they are in Chanderpur. Like the other girls, Shweta is also abducted, in the name of tradition. But Ambika takes it upon herself to save her daughter. Who is behind the abductions? What is the aim of kidnapping girls when they attain puberty?
Saiwyn Quadros has written a story which appears illogical at times. His screenplay is disjointed and hence the horror drama neither sends chills down the viewers’ spines nor engages them completely. The back story of the horrific happenings in Chanderpur is so long-winding and boring that it doesn’t quite keep the audience on tenterhooks. The question that troubles the viewers the most, and for which there’s no answer, is: why doesn’t Ambika leave Chanderpur when she knows that her daughter might hit puberty soon? Why is she so keen to risk her daughter’s life when all she needed to do was to leave her husband’s ancestral home and return to her matrimonial home? In other words, why does Ambika wait for calamity to strike? She could’ve averted the calamity by simply leaving the ancestral home and Chanderpur. What now comes across to the viewers is that Ambika invited calamity rather than averting it. The track of the old woman revealing all to Ambika looks too convenient to be true because one wonders, why she didn’t open her mouth for so many years. The logic that she dared to reveal all to Ambika, only because Ambika dreamt of Maa Kali doesn’t seem very convincing. Climax is lengthy. Of course, the mother sentiments would definitely appeal to a section of the womenfolk. Aamil Khan and Ajit Jagtap’s dialogues are fair.
Kajol does a fine job as Ambika. Her earnestness comes across in every scene. Ronit Bose Roy is good as Joydev. Indraneil Sengupta makes his mark in a brief role as Shuvankar. Jitin Gulati is average as the investigating police officer. Kherin Sharma is alright as Shweta. Gopal Singh lends routine support as Bikash. Surjasikha Das passes muster in the role of Nandini. Rupkatha Chakraborty is impressive as Deepika. Dibyendu Bhattacharya (as Bimal) leaves a mark. Vibha Rani (as the old priestess) and Yaaneea Bharadwaj (as the young priestess) lend average support. Navin Sandhu (as young Joydev), Aashit Chatterjee (as Jagdish), Ajitabh Sengupta (as the broker), Prakash Shaw (as Joydev’s young friend), Aayushi Lahiri (as Shuvankar’s mother), and the others are passable.
Vishal Furia’s direction is ordinary. Although it is a horror drama, Furia has not been able to send chills down the viewers’ spines. Music (Harsh Upadhyay, Rocky Khanna and Shiv Malhotra) is okay. Lyrics (Manoj Muntashir Shukla and Pranav Vatsa) are okay. Ranju Varghese’s choreography is good. Amar Mohile’s background music is nice. Pushkar Singh’s camerawork is lovely. Computer graphics and visual effects are okay. R.P. Yadav’s action and stunt scenes are fairly thrilling but ought to have been more exciting. Sheetal Duggal’s production designing, and Pranay Chaure’s art direction are alright. Sandeep Francis’ editing should’ve been sharper.
On the whole, Maa has mother sentiments for only a section of the ladies audience but precious little else. It will, therefore, not do much at the box-office except in smaller centres and in some pockets of ‘A’ class centres.
Released on 27-6-’25 at Inox (daily 3 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru PVR Inox Pictures. Publicity: dull. Opening: so-so. …….Also released all over. Opening was weak at several places and ordinary at others.