'Maja Ma' review: Madhuri Dixit’s film is well-intended but misses the mark by a mile
Maja Maa
In recent years, we have seen how the Indian film industry has worked thoroughly on normalising characters belonging to LGBTQ+ community among the audience. Many films have explored same-sex romance on celluloid. Initially, these films and the actors faced a lot of backlash, but things started changing over time. Now, many mainstream actors have joined the steady revolution by giving a nod to portraying a gay character on screen.
In the past, we have seen films majorly focusing on young individuals coming out, and fighting the family and society at large in the process. However, the recently released film 'Maja Ma' is slightly different from the rest. But does the film manage to put forth a strong message or does it miss the mark? Let's find out.
'Werewolf by Night' review: MCU's Halloween special is a fun throwback to classic monster movies
What is the story?
Amazon Prime's recently released film is about a middle-class Gujarati woman, Pallavi Patel, played by evergreen beauty Madhuri Dixit. She plays the perfect Indian mother-she makes the best food in the world, she's talented, and she knows how to paint - a goddess-like figure- basically, a typical representation of a mother we have seen in the Indian film industry for decades. Pallavi is living a happy life with her family in India until her son Tejas Patel returns to India with his NRI girlfriend and her conservative super-rich millionaire family. They are to get married, and the families need to meet before they set a date.
Like every Indian family, the mother holds the fort and the family goes out of its way to impress the son's in-laws. But everything turns upside down when a big secret about Pallavi's identity accidentally comes out one day in front of the whole world.
A good attempt
Director Anand Tiwari presents the topic of LGBTQ in a very new way and kudos to him for that. While most Hindi films address the issue by focusing on millennials, Tiwari shifts the focus to a middle-aged Indian woman, who has had a past, had feelings but had bowed down to the stereotypical norms of society and decided to hide her truth for years.
What does not work for the film
Intentions might be right, but the execution is what matters. And, unfortunately, makers of ‘Maja Ma’ fail at that level. In the film, Anand focuses multiple things, the narrative is chaotic and leaves many important things unfinished and unexplored, which makes the plot convoluted.
Madhuri Dixit, the star
In a career spanning four decades, Madhuri Dixit has carved a niche with her talent. After making her digital debut with Netflix's 'Fame Game', Dixit- in this movie- is not as impressive and the terrible writing hampers her performance.
What stopped her from getting into the skin of her character was somewhere the representation of her role. Her character, Pallavi, is a housemaker in a small Indian city, and she should be presented like that only, to make the character more realistic. So, why did the makers portray her as a typical Indian daily soap housewife?
It's difficult to digest!
In the past, we have seen several shows and movies that dived deep into the real lives of Indian families, with everything looking so realistic and authentic. At this point, seeing films like 'Maja ma' disappoints you, where every scene is loaded with extra drama.
Tejas’ girlfriend Esha Hansraj (Barkha Singh) and her conservative parents, Bob (played by Rajit Kapur) and Pam (played by Sheeba Chadha), are NRIs, and their American accent is one of the most irritating parts of the film.
Cast Performance!
The film has a stellar cast of Madhuri Dixit, Ritwik Bhowmik, Gajraj Rao, and Simone Singh, and somewhere all the characters have done a good job, but what holds them back is the lazy writing.
Is it worth a watch?
The creators did an excellent job of telling the story of a middle-aged mother, her sexual orientation, LGBTQ+, social pressure, and her true identity. But, everything falls apart when it's executed. Despite the presence of acting powerhouses such as Ritwik Bowmik, Gajraj Rao, and Srishti Shrivastava, the film fails to shine.
Ritwik and Srishti Shrivastava are the stars of the movie and are the core characters, but as we said, the overdramatic script holds both of them back. Simone Singh's character is a breath of fresh air, and was one character that deserved more screen presence.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
The film is made with very good intentions and a good script, but the way it is presented makes it a melodramatic Indian drama. Another thing that took the film's charm away was the ample amount of unnecessary drama that was not needed, at all.
A special mention for the costume designers of the film, who have done a great job with the clothing and the jewellery.
All over, the movie is about Madhuri, and we are not complaining. Holding a social message at its core, the film comes with a lot of free drama and emotions.
Watch only if you are a 'Madhuri Dixit fan'.
The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
