What Is the Story About?
Prime Video’s new original film ‘Maja Ma’ centres on ideal woman, housewife and mother, Pallavi Patel (Madhuri Dixit), whose son Tejas (Ritwik Bhowmik) falls in love with a rich NRI girl, Esha Hansraj (Barkha Singh). An unlikely rumour about Pallavi on the eve of her son’s engagement compels her to go through a trial by fire to prove her innocence.
Performances?
‘Maja Ma’ is Madhuri Dixit’s show all the way. The film has all her stellar acting prowess on display, in glorious, vibrant technicolor. Madhuri Dixit conveys a wide gamut of emotional upheavals with nary a word spoken, deploying her eloquent eyes and expressive features to do the needful. Fear, despair, disappointment, sorrow, anguish; and then defiance, acceptance, steadfastness, courage, resilience — Dixit expresses all of it with just a flicker of eyes, pursed lips, a quivering smile here, an averted gaze there, and more, in her seemingly endless repertoire of expressions. To sum it up, Madhuri Dixit is terrific in Maja Ma.
The rest of the ensemble cast simply pales before Madhuri Dixit’s magnificence. Gajraj Rao, as Pallavi’s unassuming husband Manohar, seems out of sorts here. Ritwik Bhowmik, who was so good in Bandish Bandits, seems like another actor altogether in Maja Ma. Barkha Singh, Sheeba Chaddha, Rajit Kapoor and Srishti Srivastava seem like fish out of water in their respective roles – yes they’re that bad. But none of it is the fault of each of these six stellar actors. All six are saddled with such badly written, poorly conceived characters that they can’t help coming across as headless chickens waddling helter-skelter through the film.
Simone Singh is the only one among the rest of the cast who’s been given a character that leverages the pretty actress’ performing skills. Despite the limited screen time, Simone Singh nails it.
Analysis
Maja Ma is littered with red flags right from the first frame of the film, when we’re first introduced to the hideously fake Yankee accents of Bob (Rajit Kapur) and Pam (Sheeba Chaddha) Hansraj. The NYC-settled, well-heeled couple gets on one’s nerves from the get-go. Esha’s accent is equally outlandish and infuriating. What’s more, her lack of spine is revolting, as she watches her poor little Indian boyfriend Tejas submit to a humiliating lie-detector test at the behest of her obnoxious, mean-minded parents. All of this happens within the first five minutes of the film — and you know you’re in for a crappy ride.
We’re then taken to the colorful, vibrant Vadodara home of the Patels, into the centre of Pallavi Patel’s world. As is the norm in Hindi films, Pallavi is the epitome of virtue and talent. Her son places her on a pedestal, while her husband thinks she’s ‘perfect’.
And then the shocking twist unfolds — within the first half an hour of the film, courtesy Pallavi’s pesky, overly-woke daughter, Tara (Srishti Srivastava). Going by the trailer, the twist in the tale is most definitely a shock – never expected it to be what it is. But very soon in the film, you begin to get an inkling of the secret that is certain to shatter the easygoing peace in the Patel household.
Initial shock done with, the movie goes all downhill from there on. It slips down a regressive rabbit hole from which there’s no coming back with its dignity intact. Given the progressive and unique core premise of the film, it’s a wonder writer Sumit Batheja and director Anand Tiwari manage to mess things up so badly. Cringe-worthy stuff, such as the overly long, boring and inconsequential ‘erection’ sequence, do nothing to help matters.
That apart, several inherent inconsistencies in the basic plot of the film niggle at the back of one’s mind. And no, I’m not talking of the now-on-now-off accent of the Hansraj clan. The most important inconsistency is the inflection point in the narrative that pushes Pallavi over the edge, causing her to make the massive revelation. Tara has always been an LGBTQ activist, nothing new in that. And it’s obvious that Kanchan (Simone Singh) has always been a part of Pallavi’s close family life, given that she’s also Tara’s mother-in-law. Neither event happens all of a sudden in Pallavi’s life. Why does it perturb her now, and so much that she makes the earth-shattering revelation? It simply doesn’t add up.
The climax of the film is easily the most banal part of it all. The lie-detector test takes the cringe cake – nah, the entire cake shop – a modern day trial by fire, the likes of what Sita had to go through in ancient times – seriously?
To top it all, even as Pallavi grows a spine and accepts her repressed past and identity, it can’t be at the cost of the ideal Indian woman image, can it? So even as she’s giving her husband a mouthful on his shortcomings as a fulfilling partner, she remembers to give him his medicines on time – just like the perfectly dutiful wife that she is. It’s a role she must play till she lives, her truth be damned.
All said and done, Maja Ma could have been a far greater film, if only the writer-director team hadn’t given in to the lure of playing it safe. The premise is radical and unique; its treatment not so. And Maja Ma is an opportunity wasted.
Music and Other Departments?
The musical score of Maja Ma, by Souumil Shringarpure, Siddharth Mahadevan, Gourov Dasgupta, and Anurag Sharma, is pleasing to hear, though not entirely memorable. Debojeet Ray has captured the Gujarati essence of the story well. His cinematography is beautiful, as are his picture compositions. Sanyukta Kaza’s editing is fine.
Highlights?
Madhuri Dixit
Core premise of the film
Drawbacks?
Messy screenplay
Inconsistencies in plot
The hideous accent of the Hansraj family
Did I Enjoy It?
Not as much as I would have liked to
Will You Recommend It?
Watch it only for Madhuri Dixit’s terrific performance
Maja Ma Hindi Movie Review by Binged Bureau
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