Maa

It takes off with the right atmospherics for horror with masks, frenzied dancing, a sprawling haveli and monstrous trees. Topped with the chilling sacrifice of a newborn female infant. Written by Ajit Jagtap, Aamil Keeyan Khan and Saiwyn Quadras, director Vishal Furia sets the supernatural horror in Chandrapur, a village in Bengal. And packs it with actors who are snug in a Bengali setting. Ambika (Kajol) and Shuvankar (Indraneil Sengupta) have studiously avoided visiting or even mentioning the horrific secrets of his birthplace to 12-year-old daughter Shweta (Kherin Sharma). But when Shuvankar gets a call that his father has passed away, he has to revisit the eerie family home. With it, the horrors are unleashed. Beginning with Shuvankar’s unnatural death. And, a few months later, Ambika and Shweta being forced to drive down to dispose of the property. Trees with faces, trees with octopus-like limbs that reach out, strangle and suspend victims in mid-air.

The film begins with a flashback of Shuvankar’s birth in Chandrapur during a Durga Puja. While everyone is happy about the news of the birth of a son, the tone changes when it’s revealed that a twin daughter is born. Due to the traditional practices of the family and a belief that girls of the bloodline bring ill fate to the world, the daughter is sacrificed in front of a tree. The tree is believed to have been possessed by a very old and powerful demon. Years later, Kajol as Ambika explains a mythological story depicted in a painting about Goddess Kali and her battle with the demon Raktabeeja (Bloodseed). She reveals to the kids in her daughter Shweta’s class how gods had to seek help from Goddess Parvati, who took the avatar of Kali and helped take down the demon to reign over Heaven once again. Inspired by the mythological stories and more history of her dad, Shuvankar’s home town, Shweta wishes to visit their native home for summer vacation, but both parents refuse to take her there. They later discuss how important it is for them to share the truth with her about Chandrapur and why they decided to keep her away from the place.