Maja Ma

This one is a family entertainer and it is set in a middle class Gujarati town. The storyline about a Gujarati Patel family has a good pace, the simple characters are relatable, the dialogue/ comedy are okay , the acting of all is precise and the emotional angle is well presented by director Anand Tiwari. There should be no complaints from the audience on any account. Madhuri Dixit ( Pallavi) and Gajraj Rao ( Manohar) play the parents admirably and project the nuances of their characters nicely. Their son Tejas ( Ritwick Bhowmik) who works in America wants to marry Indian American Punjabi girl Esha ( Barkha Singh). No problems there as her father Bob Hansraj ( Rajit Kapoor) and mother Pam (Sheeba Chaddha) who live in America are willing for the marriage. This scenario appears too good to be true. The hurdle comes in the shape of a video which exposes a nasty incident in the life of Pallavi which took place in the past. This is a shock for family and friends. The marriage is stalled and internal conflicts begin. A number of plans are proposed by family members to solve the issue The movie then throws up some thought provoking issues related to middle class values, beliefs, traditions and sensibilities. It also discusses husband wife relationship issues. The movie has fine performances by all artists and no one can be singled out. A jarring aspect however is the fake American accent put on by Rajit and Sheeba but no problems there on this bit of overacting as everything else of the movie is okay.

This is a movie which will be enjoyed by couples truly deeply committed towards their relationship and who love their life and the persons surrounding them. If someone is not attached to their family life then they cannot connect with the movie. Madhuri Dikshit as alway remarkable and we'll complimented by all the actors with her. Character setup of the most miniscule character is of top notch. You can actually relate to them. Movie is moderately paced and their is bit of comedy in the beginning, a bit of argument in the middle and a whole lot of tear jerking moment in the end. The bittersweet ending just takes the cake.

Maja ma is a comedy drama film directed by anand tiwari.

Madhuri dixit is in fine form. She delivers an earnest and powerful performance. Her eyes do speak a language. Her body language is still graceful and comprehnsive. I loved her in this movie. Gajraj rao too shines in this film. He is a chameleon who is finally getting his due. Ritwick bhowmick is a wonderful performer. His scenes with madhuri do speak a volume. Srishti srivastava is good in her limited screentime. I did not like the loud performances by rajit kapoor and sheeba chadda. Moreover, they were sporting a fake accent which made it worse. Sheeba shines only when she talks in punjabi towards the end. That was more effective. Only barkha singh looked a bit authentic. Simone singh is also pretty good.

This film does ask the right questions about the LGBTQIA+ issue. Especially at the end, the mentality of most people about being lesbian is fleshed out. The difference between love and mere sex. But again, it does get preachy sometimes. Like, tara(sristi) always in her loud voice tries to educate everyone about the taboo and the delicate matter. Rather, it should have been more authentic and organic. The film shows the true nature of NRIs and how they are more conservative than us indians. So, the writing at concept level is pretty solid.

But the film falters mainly at the screenplay level. How does a man 20 ft. Apart hear a conversation between two women? How is it possible? Even if he listens a bit, how does he comrehend the whole thing? Also, the staging of the big revelation of pallavi's 'coming out' is half baked. At the end of first half, the film wanders here and there in order to introduce the new characters. The whole comedy about sambhogra is also very lame. The comedy barely feels organic.

The cinematography is decent. Gujarat has always been vibrant in movies and is the same here. There is one shot which i liked specifically. When the revelation happens, it is staged around the closet which is metaphorical. The music is beautiful. 'Boom tadi' by shreya ghoshal is exquisitely sung and is a beautiful composition. Same can be said about 'ae pagli'. 'Kacchi doriyaan' is soulful too. The bgm is decent.

This film has a lot of moments which will surely touch you. There is one scene between gajraj and madhuri. Hell of a scene! Legendary actors akways work a way out of delivering meaningful sequences.

This is a film which despite its flaws can touch you. I rate it 7.75 out of 10.

It's a great performance oriented pretty movie, highly recommended. It has a high feel good factor too. The performances by all the actors are amazing. Madhuri Dixit is graceful as ever, she ages like a fine wine, Gajraj Rao has some cool comic timing. The way a sensitive topic has been picked up is beautiful too. Rithvik Bhowmik is class in himself, very promising actor.

Must mention, the colours of Gujarat and the backdrop is very authentic. The clothes, lighting and Gujarati blend in dialogues elevate the whole setting. It's funny how fake English accents from the NRI counterparts is interesting too.

It starts a bit slow as it establishes all the characters and their relationships. And even after the big REVEAL, it felt a bit slow. But it soon then gathers steam and clutches your heart, and you simply can't stop watching, and you want to give it a standing ovation when it ends. Very well done. Madhuri Dixit excellent as always, and everyone else is classy too. I strongly recommend.

I took 1 star off because it had a few side stories (very few) that distracted slightly from the main story. The side stories, while necessary to set the context, could have been tightened slightly to raise the impact. Nevertheless, deserves a huge applause.