Ajay Devgn’s “MAA”: The Curse Of A Demon Versus The Wrath Of A Mother!

If there is good, there’s evil! “Shaitaan” as we call it in Hindi! The evil again comes to life in a mythological spinoff to Ajay Devgn’s horror-thriller “Shaitaan” (2024). Starring his wife, actress Kajol Devgn, as the protagonist, this sequel, titled “Maa”, translated as “Mother”, features Ronit Roy as the antagonist.

Indraneil Sengupta plays Kajol’s on-screen husband and child actor Kherin Sharma, her on-screen daughter. The film has been written by Saiwyn Quadras and directed by Vishal Furia.

Once Upon A Time, There Was A Happy Family…Until The Demon Struck!

Jubin Nautiyal’s Iconic Song “Humnava Mere” Remastered In The Melodious Voice Of Shreya Ghoshal: Presenting Kajol, Indraneil Sengupta, and Kherin Sharma

Maa (2025) Synopsis: Fear, Blood, and Betrayal!

The plot revolves around an isolated and cursed town of Chandrapur in West Bengal, India, which was haunted by a bloodthirsty demon named Aamsaja. The villagers had to resort to child sacrifice to satisfy the demon’s thirst for blood and to restrict him from harming them.

Shubhankar (Indreneil Sengupta) had to visit the haunted town to sell his ancestral estate after his father’s demise and was killed inside his car by the malevolent demon while returning. His grief-stricken wife (Kajol) then arrives in the town with her daughter (Kherin Sharma) to sell that estate.

During her visit, she found young girls, who had gone through their first menstruation cycle, mysteriously disappearing. The villagers said that the girls were being abducted by the demon who lived in an old tree in the adjacent forest. She decides to stay in the town to investigate and confront the demon herself. Next, her daughter gets her menstrual cycle, and that very night, she gets abducted by Aamsaja.

Experience the wrath of a mother in pursuit of saving her daughter as Kajol receives supernatural powers from Goddess Kaali and takes on the dreaded blood demon Aamsaja, who happens to be none other than the town’s headman (Ronit Roy) in disguise!

Witness The Legend Of An Ancient Curse In “Maa” (2025) Official Trailer:

The Good:

This supernatural movie blends Hindu mythology with old-town horror, making it intriguing at the beginning. It was revealed that as Goddess Kaali, the fierce protector, had killed the demon Rakhtbeej, a drop of his blood had fallen on earth leading to the birth of a demon named Aamsaja. That place is known as the present-day Chandrapur, and the demon dwells in a haunted tree in an old forest adjacent to the town. Certain scenes in the movie were captivating and comprised suspense and horror, which would leave you on the edge of your seat. Aamsaja, as the movie depicts, is a lustful demon who used to abduct, possess, and get intimate with young girls who had just achieved puberty.

The visuals of Maa were dark and mystical. Some scenes gave the shivers of an old ghostly forest. But after all, it’s a Hindi movie, and in Hindi cinema, horror usually transitions to action! The protagonist always goes one-on-one with the evil spirit. So did Kajol as she single-handedly fought the forest demon (Ronit Roy) and his gang of possessed girls upon gaining the powers of Goddess Kaali. Quite an entertaining climax for action lovers.

What’s more, you will see Kajol at her best. Her superlative acting justifies that she has given her 100% in her motherly role. A mother can go to any extent to save her child, and her engaging performance defines “Maa”.

The Track “Kaali Shakti” Signifying The Power of Goddess Kaali in Maa (2025)

The Bad:

Even though the filmmakers tried to blend horror, suspense, and action, they lacked presentation and convincing skills. Kajol’s terrific performance couldn’t cover certain loopholes in this film’s terror tactics.

The demon Aamsaja’s VFX was bland and in fact, appeared derivative from the Guardians of the Galaxy. He looked more like the character Groot. The VFX concerning the demon’s appearance needed more work to make him appear more realistic and horrific. I found the horror factor somewhat lacking due to the demon’s absurd appearance as well as certain stretchy scenes that inflicted a bit of boredom instead of fear.

And honestly, I found the child sacrifice scene in the beginning terribly uncomfortable to watch. It will mentally affect you from the start. I just can’t believe how the heartless villagers of Chandrapur, as shown in the movie, could slaughter a newborn innocent twin girl.

Even though the film justifies the emotional engagement of a mother with her child, another scene from the climax was unexpected and disturbing as well. It showed Kajol nearly slaughtering her own daughter after hearing that she was pregnant with the demon Aamsaja’s child. Seriously, is life so cheap? Looks like the people of Chandrapur in the movie would have needed some counseling on the value of human life. Human sacrifice is an unpardonable crime and the most disturbing thing to watch.

Parental guidance is advised for children as Maa shows child sacrifice and menstruation.

The Verdict: A Wonky Doze Of Horror And Action!

The evil cannot be destroyed. The ending sequence showed R. Madhavan from Shaitaan (2024) making a cameo. Thus, we can expect the Shaitaan franchise to spread its wings even wider and come up with more innovative stories like “Maa” next time.

Many are saying that Maa has a predictable plot, but I don’t agree with them. I mean, come on, anything might have happened in the end. Worst, we could have seen the vulnerable on-screen daughter of Kajol giving birth to Amsaja’s child, which nearly happened, but did not.

Overall, Maa is a fairly terrifying and slashy cinematic piece that can satisfy your horror fantasies. I believe that the screenplay could have been executed better. Even though some parts of the movie were slow, the fight scene at the end was worth watching. This is a one-time entertainer that you can enjoy with your family on weekends.