Maa Takes Its Time (And Yours) But Forgets To Bring The Horror

"Main yahan baith kar chamatkar ka intezaar nahin kar sakti," Kajol's character declares after her daughter is abducted by a supernatural force.

- Rishabh Suri

And frankly, neither can we.

Close to the climax, we've already spent two hours waiting for any sign of horror in the film. Directed by Vishal Furia (Chhorii, 2021), Maa kicks off with a sacrifice in the village of Chandrapur, before instantly transporting us 40 years into the future. Ambika (Kajol) has an idyllic life with husband Shubhankar (Indraneil Sengupta) and daughter Shweta (Kherin Sharma). The family does not want to visit Shubhankar's ancestral village, but his father's death forces him to go, and he is murdered.

Ambika and Shweta, grieving, visit three months later on the insistence of Joydev (Ronit Roy) as they plan on selling the house. But there's something lying in wait.