Maa movie review: Kajol’s well-intentioned film keeps first half loose, second half muddled

Joydev (Ronit Roy), the man holding things in place all these years, is at hand to welcome the duo in. As soon as they step in, of course, unease starts rising: what is the old family retainer (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), now unable to speak, hiding? Flashbacks tell us of the bloody doings which took place in the past, involving the killing of newborn baby girls: now that Ambika is back, will their stories, and the ones who mysteriously go missing in the present, come out for airing?

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The production design with its saturated colours make ‘Maa’ a vivid experience. The forest just behind the haveli, whose gnarled trees hide old bones, the faded faces of the women who have suffered at the hands of the ‘daitya’ (demon) called Raktbeej, the miasma of fear which the village wears like a shroud, all have presence. The high-decibel bustle of the Kali Puja with the dancers in traditional white-and-red, even if familiar, never fails to rouse.

This is a film which is clearly well-intentioned. Smashing patriarchy is a task that films need to keep taking up, and Kajol has the heft to get the job done. Talking up menstruation, still considered taboo in this day and age, as a matter-of-fact discussion between ma-and-beti is a stand-out thread.

But the writing is bland, and there’s nothing new in the CGI (computer generated images) which is extensively used. The film itself falters in the way it keeps its first half loose, and the second half muddled. The curse of the demon and its desire to keep procreating to overrun the world versus the Kali-avatar that Ambika takes on, to embody good women vs evil men, and to celebrate the power of womanhood, needed a clearer, more gripping narrative.

Maa movie cast: Kajol, Ronit Roy, Indraneil Sengupta, Kherin Sharma, Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Maa movie director: Vishal Furia
Maa movie rating: 2 stars