Maa

Maa (2025) : Movie Review -

Maa is marketed as a film from the Shaitaan universe, but honestly, it has nothing to do with it. The only connection I can make is that both films revolve around parents saving their daughters. Yes, it has to be a daughter-a female character-because that's how it has been for years in Bollywood's horror genre. Another shared trait is a male antagonist. Maa is essentially an original story that tries to blend mythological themes into a modern horror framework-but with very little logic. We've all heard or read the tale of Rakhtabeej and Kaali Maa. We know that the demon was killed by Kaali Maa. Now, this film tells us he wasn't. Instead, one drop of his blood gave birth to a new demon. Ridiculous. Sorry, but I'm not buying that. The film's basic foundation is flawed, and despite having an original and somewhat intriguing idea, it collapses due to its TV-serial-like execution. Moreover, the Vishal Furia curse continues, post-Chhorri and Chhorri 2. He desperately needs to move beyond the female foeticide trope.

Maa follows Ambika (Kajol) and her daughter, Shweta (Kherin Sharma). Ambika's husband is killed by a tree-dwelling demon called Amsaja. Later, she's asked to visit Chandarpur to sell their ancestral mansion. The demon notices Shweta but must wait until she hits puberty. Meanwhile, Ambika recounts the legend of Rakhtabeej, reborn as Amsaja, who now seeks a daughter from their bloodline. Predictably, Amsaja abducts Shweta after her first period, but this time he's in for a fight-Ambika, the mother, won't let him succeed. Will Ambika defeat the demon?

The screenplay makes Maa a tedious watch, especially in the first half. It takes more than an hour to arrive at anything meaningful. The most interesting segment is the interval block, but that mostly introduces the mythos rather than any real conflict. After yet another boring act, the actual story kicks off in the final quarter as a few secrets unfold. But even they aren't strong enough to reduce the predictability. A tighter screenplay could have elevated this into a solid horror piece. As it stands, it's disjointed and slow almost throughout. Add to that some daily soap-like tropes, a melodramatic background score, and over-the-top aggressive action sequences-and the entire dish falls flat. The final 15 minutes somewhat salvage the film from dipping below average. Logical reasoning is missing, and the pieces fail to fall into place. The linear storytelling takes a dull route, dragged down further by Vishal Furia's thematic repetition from his previous works. In short, this is another Chhorri, only with Kajol and a bigger canvas-haunted by the same mediocrity.

Kajol looks graceful in the beginning, and her character gets a substantial arc towards the climax. We're not accustomed to seeing female characters grow this heroic, but here it works because of one powerful word: MAA. A mother can go to any lengths for her child, and that's what gives Ambika's character conviction. Kajol performs well, though it doesn't touch the heights of her Salaam Venky act. This role leans more toward mass appeal, so the lack of finesse is understandable. Kherin Sharma delivers an immature performance, especially when compared to Janaki Bodiwala, who was stunning in Shaitaan (and even better in Vash). The difference is glaring. Ronit Roy's Bengali dialogues come without subtitles, which is disappointing, though he delivers a punch in the climax. It's a shame to see an actor like Dibyendu Bhattacharya wasted in such a hollow role. Indraneil Sengupta, Gopal Singh, Surjasikha Das, Vibha Rani, Yaneea Bharadwaj, and others merely pass the time.

Maa fails to grasp the essence of effective horror filmmaking. The scares are few and far between, turning it into more of a family drama than a horror experience. Even technically, the film underperforms. The background score lacks bite. The cinematography is strictly average, and the editing isn't sharp either. The few things that work are the art and production design-the atmosphere feels authentic. The real problem lies in storytelling, which leans too heavily on artificial cinematic tools to simulate realistic effects. That contradiction is something Vishal Furia hasn't been able to manage smartly. The best thing about him remains his ability to draw ideas from mythology and history, instead of copy-pasting plots like Shaitaan. However, the recurring issue is his inability to break out of the Lapachhapi zone, even after eight years. That film set high standards for Marathi horror and for Furia himself-standards that he hasn't met since. In fact, with each new attempt, he seems to be sliding downward. The only good part is that Maa has its own identity and a few standout ideas that hint at future potential. But for now, you're left enduring mediocrity-or better yet, just wait for a better film, as we cinegoers have sadly grown accustomed to doing nowadays.

RATING - 4/10*

Movie Review: Maa screening in cinema halls near you!!

Touted as the 2nd film in Ajay Devgan's Shaitaan universe, Maa is a mytho-horror film starring Kajol, Indraneil Sengupta & Ronit Roy among the known faces in bollywood.

Set in the village of Chandrapur somewhere near Kolkata, it tells the story of Kajol , a mother battling supernatural forces to save her daughter!!

If u compare this film with Shaitaan u might find it a bit underwhelming. Though it has its jumpscare moments great editing, cinematography, BGM , the antagonist created with special effects seems somewhat like Groot who isn't half as scary as R Madhavan in Shaitaan. Special effects too are mediocre at the start though there are some great scenes towards the climax. The dull dark ambience definitely creates a feeling of unease that is apt for a movie of this genre.. great work there!!

It is Kajol's film all the way and she really gives it her all .. a restrained performance from her with no hamming or over the top scenes. Ronit Roy too has done well in his small yet impactful role.

The film is a mish-mash of Chhori, Stree and Shaitaan, yet failing to create the shock value seen in all the 3 films above.

A decent one time watch , not bad at all , but cudve been better!! Good production value overall!!

Going with 3/5 for this one .. adios 😊!!

#sanjuzzreviews #sanjuzzklikzz #maa #maafilm #kajoldevgan #RonitRoy #IndraneilSengupta #horror #horrorfilm #FilmReviewHindi #filmreview #mythohorror #filmreviewer.

This movie is dull and slow. The story is very basic and doesn't have anything new or exciting. It feels like it was just put together without much thought. The main cast seems to have been picked based on popularity, not actual acting talent.

Kajol, in particular, looks outdated and shows very little range in her acting. In the past, her weak performances were easy to overlook because stronger male actors carried the films. But in this movie, her limitations are very clear.

Surprisingly, the extras and background actors do a much better job. They feel more real and help move the story along more than the leads do. There are also some truly talented actors in the film, but their roles are so small that their skills go to waste.

The pace of the movie is another big issue-it drags on and on. It takes forever for anything meaningful to happen. Overall, this movie is a missed opportunity and a disappointment.

Pretty good movie with decent storyline but I don't know why Kajol's acting was way off , and obviously the plot is repeated the same logic to save the family u go out to somewhere else than one of your frnds call you back then something happens so your whole family have to come now at the end u face the enemy to be the ultimate galactic saviour ( obviously you will need god's power) you defeat the enemy and you be the hero I would rather recommend to watch SHAITAAN it's better than this m still giving this 5 starts coz other characters balanced the missing points but you can still feel the stretch again i dont have any hatred and this review isn't targetted to anyone this is my personal opinion.

Maa had the potential to be a genre-bending experience, but it stumbles despite Kajol's stellar performance. She brings depth and emotional gravitas, making you feel every ounce of a mother's fear and desperation. Unfortunately, the film's uniqueness is undercut by its painfully predictable plot and reliance on tired horror tropes. The jump scares are formulaic, and the visual effects barely meet the mark. Worst of all, the villain looks like a budget Vecna knockoff from Stranger Things, more laughable than terrifying. Maa tries to be profound, but ends up being a stylishly packaged, hollow echo of better horror films.