Maa Movie Review; The Kajol Starrer Had Potential But Falls Flat In Execution
Rating: 3/5
Director: Vishal Furia
Cast: Kajol, Kherin Sharma, Indraneil Sengupta, Ronit Roy, Kherin Sharma
Storyline:
After her husband Shubhankar (Indraneil) dies suddenly, Ambika (Kajol) and her daughter Shweta (Kherin) must visit the eerie town of Chandrapur… a place she and Shubhankar had promised never to take her.
Back in Shubhankar’s ancestral haveli, unsettling things begin to unfold. The town is on edge, gripped by fear and old superstitions, especially as a demonic force seems to be targeting young girls. As the tension builds and the community grows more hostile, Ambika finds herself caught in a terrifying fight to protect her child.
A chilling blend of folklore and maternal resilience, this suspenseful tale explores how far a mother will go when her daughter’s life is at stake!
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Maa Movie Review:
Maa had all the ingredients of a gripping horror. The trailer looked promising, the cast was strong, and the story seemed to tap into dark family secrets and age-old superstitions. But while the film starts off on a solid note and builds an eerie mood in the first half, it slowly loses steam and never quite recovers.
The core concept of the story is genuinely interesting and had a lot of potential, but the film doesn’t do enough with it. A tighter script and more layered plot could have really elevated the experience.
The setting of Chandrapur, the spooky ancestral haveli, and the sense of unease are effectively built up until the interval. There’s a slow-burn tension that works for a while, though the pacing gets sluggish and some scenes start feeling repetitive.
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The plot had plenty of room to grow, but the film doesn’t take full advantage of it. As it enters the third act, the story suddenly becomes rushed and over-the-top. The final battle feels unearned and underwhelming, and the weak CGI makes it feel silly and disconnected from the rest of the film.
Maa Movie Review:
The film’s biggest drawback is its poor CGI. The visual effects look unpolished, almost like an old Aahat episode, and not in a good way. One montage straight up feels AI-generated, which takes away from the emotional impact.
What keeps the film from falling apart are the strong performances. Kajol is perfectly cast as the fierce, protective mother. Even in the most ridiculous moments, she stays grounded and makes you feel the stakes. Kherin, as her young daughter, is convincing and their bond feels real. Indraneil Sengupta is effective in his limited screen time.
Ronit Roy, however, is a bit of a mixed bag. While his acting is solid, the forced Bengali accent makes his dialogues sound cartoonish. The same issue pops up with other characters too, which makes the regional representation feel less authentic and more like a gimmick.
Overall, Maa is a film that had a great idea at its core but stumbles in execution. It needed better writing, sharper scares, and definitely stronger VFX. Kajol does her best to hold it together, but the film doesn’t give her enough support. A watchable one-time experience for her fans, but not the horror masterpiece it could have been.
Interestingly, there’s a surprise tie-in to Shaitaan towards the end. While it might feel like a cash-grab, the idea itself seems cool and adds some intrigue. That said, Shaitaan handled horror much better than Maa does.
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