Maa review: Kajol impresses in this horror-mythology despite sub-par execution

Indian horror has received yet another makeover with Maa starring Kajol in the lead. Based on the tale of Goddess Kali and the demon Raktabeej, this Vishal Furia directorial had all the ingredients for a solid outing, but unfortunately missed the mark, courtesy of sub-par execution. Want to know why? Let’s dive right into it.

What is Kajol-starrer Maa movie about?

Kajol, who travels to Chandrapur, a village in Kolkata, with her daughter, encounters the folklore about young girls being abducted by the demon after they get their first period. I mean, she has to be dismissive at first, right? Typical cliche. As the trailer suggests, Kajol’s daughter is taken away from her, and now our lead star has to fight it herself with the help of Goddess Kali.

The performances

Before we get to dissect the cast’s acting chops, I must forewarn you that the Hindi with a subtle but significant Bengali accent is a turn-off. The actors would sometimes apply it and would perhaps unconsciously forget about it, and speak in regular Hindi. Kajol, who shoulders the film, hogs most of the screen time with little to nothing left for prolific actors such as Ronit Roy, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Indraneil Sengupta. I sincerely get the emotion of why one should never mess with a mother, and Kajol emotes it brilliantly. However, the excessive CGI threw me off.

Just to give you an idea, without any spoilers, the demon who appears in the second half is what I think would look like if Vecna from Stranger Things and the Night King from Game of Thrones had a baby.

Final Verdict

I am rooting for director Vishal Furia, who recently directed Chhorri 2, because he probably had a great vision for Maa, but it seems like it got lost in translation for the big screen. I would rather recommend the Malayalam movie Kumari (2022), which is currently streaming on Netflix, and has a similar theme. With a runtime of more than 2 hours, it was the climax of Maa that managed to give me goosebumps for like a minute or so. That being said, it is not your typical Bollywood movie. Despite mediocre execution, it has gravitas and therefore deserves a watch.

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