Maja Ma

*** Maja Ma Movie Review ***

Maja Ma directed by Anand Tiwari, starring Madhuri Dixit Nene, Gajraj Rao, Ritwik Bhowmik, Barkha Singh, Srishti Shrivastava, Sheeba Chaddha, Rajit Kapur, Simone Singh in lead role.

Penned by Sumit Batheja.

Plot of the Movie.

Ritwik alias Tejas is leaving in abroad & there he falls in love with a girl Barkha Singh belonging to a rich affluent girl of USA but who sticks to the traditional principles. They decide to meet Tejas family in Baroda as they believe marriage is the union of two families.

Tejas family consist of his mother Pallavi Patel alias Madhuri Dixit Nene, father Manohar & sister Tara. The central character Pallavi is a housewife having her hobbies of garba dance and cooking especially the delicious sweets.. When Tejas future in laws meets his family in Baroda for the alignment, a turmoil which raises a question mark on Pallavi Patel identity & how she deals with it forms rest part of the story

Analysis.

The root of the topic is same but its story telling approach differs. LGBTQ the term which we often heard a lot, Maja Ma nothing delivers a different kind of input to the viewers so as to question our sensibility.

Badhaai Do, Shubh Mangal Jyada Savdhan are the different versions of LGBTQ cases happened or happening in our society.

Writer Sumit Batheja able to portray the struggling women who fails to express their emotional desire with the fear of society scoffing and also fear of the family reputation would be at a toss.

Madhuri Dixit able to encapsulate the emotional trauma passage of Pallavi which comprises the grief, the anguish, the unabashed. In Fame Game web series, where Madhuri Dixit asks her son "Are you a gay "with an anticipatory bail of acceptance of bitter truth, here Pallavi Patel is in a state of disconcertment. That makes us to say that she is a versatile actor. At the same time, the writer able to throw light on Pallavi's unconditional & selfless love towards her family.

Gajraj Rao comic timings, innocent amateur English speaking makes us laugh. Sheeba Chaddha, Rajit Kapur Indo English mix conversation was good enough especially Sheeba's one variation in one moment proving her versatility.

Tara played by Srishti Srivastava who is Pallavi's daughter, an activist believes that hiding the true identity is a sin. But I personally feel that the writer failed to give more space to her as in many areas Tara had been side-lined. Moments where she was required, she was invisible thereby leading an added pressure to Pallavi.

Talking about the other areas, "Boom Padi Song "sung by Shreya Ghoshal, directed by Soumil and Siddharth was electrifying.

Cinematography seems to be artificial especially where we need to believe the sun is real. Colour grading seems to be applied too much.

Conclusion.

Overall, a topic which is squeezed again and again like a sugarcane but with a notable performance making it a watchable one.

Sameer lodaya

In Gujarati MAJA MA means all good and trust me here in movie it's all very good

WOW what a content made by anand after his ott release of nail polish and bandish bandits..this movie he has made very colourful and bright showing the true case of Gujarat cultures

Hats off to madhuri to accept such challenging roles and getting accustomed with ott platform..she looked gorgeous and about acting she was and she is on the top..simultaneously gajraj with his naughty and cute expressions has been amazing..the young one ritwik after whistle blower has once again proved himself..malhar was unused

The movie has high level of maturity and emotions about how a Indian woman selflessly devotes her entire life for her family expecting nothing out of it..the humour and emotions are nicely balanced

The movie will give you all elements of entertainment.

Trust me it's one of the most decent LGBTQ+ movies made in recent times. You can watch it with your family and probably a movie to introduce the concept to our older generation. Some scenes are cringe but overall it is a fun light hearted movie with depth. I wish the romance aspect of Madhuri as a teenager could have been explored a bit more. As a straight woman Definitely am curious to see some context to sweet simple love between two women. The Gujju context is sweet and Simone Singh is a stunner. Madhuri no doubt steals the show. Sheeba Chaddha's accent is hilarious, loved her in every scene.

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.

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.