Maa Movie Review: Kajol’s Mythological Drama Lacks the Scares

Kajol’s film Maa certainly comes equipped with all the essential elements for a powerful horror cinematic experience a compelling story, strong performances, and emotional depth. However, despite having the right mix, the filmmakers seem to fall short in execution. It’s as if they’ve gathered all the right ingredients for a rich, flavorful horror dish but tossed them into the pot without enough attention or care.

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A Horror Without the Haunt: Maa Promises Chills but Leaves Us Waiting

“Main yahaan baithkar chamatkar ka intezaar nahi kar sakti,” declares Kajol’s character towards the climax, as her daughter is abducted by a supernatural force. Fair enough, because frankly, neither can we. We’ve already spent two hours waiting for any sign of horror in this horror-mythological film. If something doesn’t start spooking us soon, we might just call the monster ourselves. Maa, directed by Vishal Furia of Chhorii fame, kicks off with a girl child’s sacrifice in Chandrapur, and then we are immediately transported 40 years later. One drop of the demon’s blood, which fell to the Earth, creates a monster that terrorises the village for decades.

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A Promising Myth Meets a Pacing Mess: Maa Struggles to Awaken Its Potential

Ambika (Kajol) is leading a happy life with her husband Shubhankar (Indraneil Sengupta) and daughter Shweta (Kherin Sharma). For some reason, they don’t want to visit Chandrapur, Shubhankar’s ancestral village. But his father’s death forces him to go and visit, and he dies. Ambika and Shweta, grieving, give it a visit after three months on the insistence of Joydev (Ronit Roy) as they plan on selling off their ancestral house. But Ambika isn’t ready for what’s waiting. The film pins its ambitions on the story of Goddess Kali and Raktabija, an epic premise no doubt. Sounds great on paper. But the film takes ages to set the mood in the first half. You are neither scared nor sucked into this world.

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