What does a long-married couple do when they find out they've been lying to each other for years? Do they give up or take a deep breath, step back, and try to figure out what to do? Let's find out in the movie Maja Ma
Critics argued that Maza Ma should have provided more maza.
About the Maja Ma movie
Madhuri Dixit portrays a Gujarati mother of two, the dancing queen of her Vrindavan Society, the organizer of aarti, and an ideal wife—except for one thing. She confesses to being a lesbian during a screaming match with her extremely liberal and demanding daughter (Shrishti Shrivastava). The truth is disclosed to her entire family, as well as her neighbors and, most horrifyingly, her son’s (Ritwixk Bhowmick) future in-laws, in the laziest piece of writing and chain of events.
Sheeba Chaddha and Rajit Kapur, who are both incredibly watchable, play the NRI in-laws. But they are a curse to put up with right away here. They are the real villains of the story, although in comedy, with their false American accents, intolerable, overt snobbishness, and perpetual hard-on for customs and culture. No matter how sweet, understanding, and kind their daughter (Barkha Singh) is, her accent, which jumps in and out of scenes whenever it wants, is a pain in the ear. Everything is a mess that might have been prevented quite easily.
Even though Bollywood has dealt with same-sex love before and is now much more comfortable with what used to be considered sensitive issues, a film that talks so openly, even if it is in fits and starts, about what could have been being still something to be proud of. One of the film’s high moments is a talk between Pallavi and Manohar about the value of actual emotions and how obedient marriage sex is not the same as an act that gives true “Maja.”
Maja Ma wants to live in both the modern and traditional worlds, which is another confusing aspect. The woman is a secret lesbian, but for her to be taken seriously, she must be the ideal woman. Pallavi from Madhuri cooks, cleans, dances, and aids her husband in winning local elections before being given a “second chance.” Then there is the entire section about lie detector testing when they beat the homosexuality out of her by taking her to fake babas. The family turns against her, but it can be won back just as easily with some dramatic dialogue, good fortune alone, and if all else fails, cancer.
Madhuri, who recently returned from the US herself, is primarily entertaining to watch in one of her few lead-starring roles. Madhuri is believable and likable even when she is obsessing about keeping her secret, glaring at her daughter with anger and sometimes desperation, or conveying her utter anguish at not being able to participate in the neighborhood’s aarti program for the first time. Although she spends most of the movie in the “bhajan” area, the change of direction is relieving enough.
Some of the performances surpass the quality of the movie. Chaddha makes an effort to surpass her limitations and occasionally succeeds. In “Badhaai Do,” the pleasant Rao walked alongside Neena Gupta; in this scene, he is Dixit’s capable companion. Rao has experience marrying ladies of substance. She serves as the movie’s center of gravity, and in several scenes, she proves to be the actress most capable of bringing her deep, desiring character to life. If only the film contained more “Maja.”
As Pallavi’s ex-flame with the spiciest remarks for impolite NRIs, Simone Singh continues to receive praise for her outstanding portrayal. Simone feeds Sheeba a warm dish of honey right in her ear in a scene that almost makes you want to get up from your seat and congratulate Sheeba for finally getting rid of the annoying accent in a scene that belongs to a different and better movie. When the sweet, pure Punjabi finally shines through, even Sheeba almost makes up for that accent.
Critics
Maja Ma was only missing an Ayushmann Khurrana with its message of modernism, family ties, and social injustices. He would fit perfectly in as he has built his entire career on a string of such movies. But even he understands the importance of genuinely being hilarious. Everything else is secondary. Let Maja Ma show you why social comedies can’t work without the “comedy” part.
Read more: The Fame Game: Madhuri Dixit Starrer Receives Mixed Reactions
