Maa Movie Review: Does Kajol's Film Deliver the Scares for a New Horror Chapter?

Only Ajay Devgn has the courage to remake an original film and then turn it into his own, building an entire universe around it. This first happened with Singham, and now it’s happening with Shaitaan. Mrs. Devgn, Kajol, has come to play with Shaitaan. Maa has been released, marking the beginning of the Shaitaan universe. Without wasting any time, I’ll tell you straight away whether you should watch this film or stay away from it. Plus, as a bonus, I’ll tell you about another film that will twist your mind 500 times more than Maa. So, Maa’s story is actually connected with the story of Kali Maa. You know about Raktbeej, right? A demon so terrifying that even the gods were afraid of him and had to flee heaven, because Raktbeej was hunting them down. The twist was that every drop of blood that fell from his body would create a new Raktbeej. All the gods then told Maa Parvati about their fear, and to end this terror, Maa Parvati took the form of Kali Mata.

She cut Raktbeej with one hand and licked his blood with her tongue before it could touch the ground. This way, Raktbeej was defeated, but the fear remained. Now, in this film, there’s a place where even today a drop of Raktbeej’s blood exists, from which Shaitaan was born again. But it has never reached the villagers because Kali Maa herself protects it. How? Well, in the same village, there is a cursed mansion with a big temple of Maa Kali inside it, but the temple has been locked for 40 years. Why? Because the villagers believe that until Maa Kali appears to someone in a dream, breaking that lock would be equivalent to awakening Shaitaan. Now imagine, unaware of all this, you take your child to that same village and mansion, and suddenly you learn about this story. That’s what happens in this film, the film is about a mother who brought her daughter to visit her ancestral village, but unknowingly gave Raktbeej a second chance at life. Sounds interesting, right? But before you rush to book your tickets, let me clarify: calling this a horror film would be a bit unfair.

Maa is a film with a scary story, but the film itself lacks real fear. You see the difference, right? The problem is, big things are happening in the film, but everyone accepts them too easily. The problem sounds terrifying, but the solution comes in a snap. So where is the fear? There are some scenes where people are killed and cut with swords, and there are rituals that will make you scratch your head wondering how this was allowed. A film like Shaitaan scared people without even using God, just with the topic of black magic, because the story felt so normal as if it could happen to anyone in real life. But here, the attempt to connect with Kali Maa is a huge responsibility, raising expectations very high, only to fall short. The only benefit the film got was the Bengali culture, the eerie mansion, the statue of Kali Maa, the haunting dance, all these keep you interested for two hours. Plus, the climax is worth the money. You will never see such intense fight scenes with Kajol before they have broken her body in ways no human can endure.

But the biggest reason to watch this film is the surprise villain who cleverly twists the story and shocks you. Yet, you will miss characters like R. Madhavan’s, who brought Shaitaan to life earlier. The villain in this film is a surprise but doesn’t feel very powerful. The film tries hard to put scary scenes, but they don’t frighten you much because the characters react like seeing ghosts and spirits is an everyday affair. You can call this a thriller but the horror angle feels childish. The sound effects give shocks here and there, but the special effects look amateurish. Still, many people might get scared, especially if they watch it with family. Here’s a tip: don’t leave right after the film ends.

The biggest surprise is hidden at the end, linking Maa to the Shaitaan universe. I’d give this film three out of five stars. First, for the story which could have been a great theatrical experience; second, for the surprise villain; and extra stars for Kajol’s performance and the Bengali cultural setting that gave life to the film. Negatives? It lacks real horror. The fear reaches your mind but doesn’t show in your eyes. Also, the use of Kali Maa in the film is not at the devotional level it should have been. Now for the bonus film, one of the best psychological horror movies of 2025 called Jarann and is a Marathi film. It has an ending that will take you back to the days of the maze.