Maa Behen Review: Movie deserves credit for tackling important themes through an unconventional lens
Maa Behen Movie Rating: 2.5 Stars
Watched Maa Behen movie on Netflix. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Dharna Durga and Ravi Kishan
Director: Suresh Triveni
Release Date: 4th June 2026 on Netflix
Story: Set in the conservative north Indian Adarsh Colony movie revolves around Rekha (Madhuri Dixit) and her two daughters Jaya (Triptii Dimri) and Sushma (Dharna Durga). Jaya is married to Manas (Shardul Bhardwaj) and lives with him. On the other hand, Sushma is unmarried and lives alone. Sushma makes cheap reels with her brother-in-law Manas which are popular because of their content.
Rekha works in a wine shop in which neighbor Gupta (Ravi Kishan) works as the accountant. One night, Rekha Panicks as Mr. Gupta has died in her house. Terrified of being blamed, she calls her estranged daughters for help. She claims that she killed him in self-defense, but the police may not believe her account. Hence, they decide to dispose of the body in a nearby canal at night.
But that’s not possible as Gupta’s daughter Goldie (Rrama Sharma) is getting married in a few days and a ‘Jagrata’ is organized, which will go on until dawn. Meanwhile, Gupta’s wife (Geetanjali Kulkarni) is worried as her husband hasn’t returned. She informs her police officer brother, Maheshwari (Arunoday Singh) about it and he starts his investigation.
Maheshwari used to secretly love Jaya when they both studied in school and still has feelings for her. What was Gupta doing in Rekha’s house so late in the night? Had Rekha invited him to her house or was Gupta a man with a roving eye? Is Rekha actually a woman of easy virtues? Is there more to it than meets the eye in the story of Rekha and her two daughters? What are the other skeletons which come tumbling out of the family cupboard?
Positives
1. Performances
2. Cinematography
3. Climax
4. Dialogues
5. Story
Negatives
1. Length
2. Uneven Screenplay
3. Unnecessary Subplots
4. Direction
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to watch this movie in my free time as loved the trailer. Set in the conservative north Indian Adarsh Colony, single and glamorous mother Rekha makes a hysterical late-night phone call to her daughters, Jaya and Sushma summoning them home after discovering the dead body of her nosy neighbor, Guptaji inside her house.
Maa Behen story is quirky and fresh. It uses humor layered with tragedy to hold up a mirror to a society that views women simply existing on their own with suspicion. The resemblance to actress Rekha and the long-standing gossip surrounding her personal life and marital status inevitably come to mind. How can women thrive without being subject to the watchful gaze of men? Society’s inability to process that question forms the heart of this story. What makes this crime-comedy particularly refreshing is that it never turns into a pity party. These women choose joy, beauty and humour even in the face of adversity. They refuse to be miserable. The characters are wonderfully written and couldn’t care less about “log kya kahenge” because they have far more pressing concerns—like survival. The film delivers a stinging rebuke to the notion that if a woman isn’t a bechari or abla naari, she must automatically be labelled a daayan. The casual normalization of this harassment and Rekha’s need to smile through it if she wishes to survive in the locality is one of the film’s most heartbreaking observations. It takes on this internalized patriarchy that compels women to police and shame one another. At its core, it is a reflection on society’s deep discomfort with women living without men. Similar themes were explored with remarkable sensitivity in Tribeny Rai’s Nepali-language drama Shape of Momo, which examined how independent women are often treated as public spectacles open to scrutiny and judgement. The last time a female ensemble generated this kind of effortless camaraderie was in Crew. The madness is infectious, but so are the quieter moments when the film pauses to acknowledge the pain, resentment and grief buried beneath the laughter. It highlights how women who choose to live independently are often subjected to suspicion, character assassination and social isolation. Its message about female solidarity and self-determination is both relevant and heartfelt.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its performances. Madhuri Dixit shines in the role of Mother Rekha. She is thoroughly entertaining and performs brilliantly. She has never played a role like this and it’s a zone diametrically opposite from her real-life persona. Yet, she gets into the skin of the character perfectly. Tripti Dimri is lovely in the role of Jaya. She acts with effortless ease. Her angry monologue in the middle of the second half is too good. Dharna Durga is natural to the core and endears herself to the viewers with her free and spontaneous acting. Ravi Kishan makes his mark as Gupta, but it must be added that he doesn’t get much scope to show his talent and his comic timing. Arunoday Singh is effective as police inspector Maheshwari. Shrivardhan Trivedi is very impressive as the Khalbali TV host. Paresh Rawal is natural, as always, in a special appearance as Chandru Dwivedi. Geetanjali Kulkarni makes her presence amply felt in the role of Mrs. Gupta. Rama Sharma leaves a mark as Goldie. Shardul Bhardwaj has his moments as Manas. Suresh Triveni’s direction is decent. He executes the story in a very stylish manner that adds to the fun. The use of the Khalbali TV host and the manner in which he introduces the backstories of the three principal characters is quite interesting.
On the flipside, the principal plot of the three women trying to clean up their mess and the message come across very well. But the secondary tracks don’t pack the punch in an intended manner. A few aspects regarding the relationship between Rekha, Jaya, and Sushma are confusing. The entire angle of the wine shop and the special appearance of an actor is weak and should have been written and helmed more impactfully. The climax is worth watching but is also a bit convenient. The film begins on a high, remains engaging for the most part, but does lose momentum in the middle as certain portions feel repetitive. Fortunately, it regains its footing and builds towards a powerful climax. The pace of the film is painfully slow at first. Interest levels only pick up in the second half before the narrative finally commands your undivided attention. The screenplay, too, gets a tad scattered in places. Furthermore, the songs are forgettable, and the background score fails to act as a strong supporting character—something that should have been a core strength of a comedy-thriller. Ultimately, the flavor of the genre feels a bit too mild rather than delivering a power-packed dose. Several character arcs feel underdeveloped, and crucial motivations are left frustratingly vague. The film appears determined to keep audiences guessing, but ambiguity is often mistaken for depth.
Overall, movie remains an earnest, entertaining and well-acted effort that falls short of its considerable potential. It deserves credit for tackling important themes through an unconventional lens. It is an entertaining crime-comedy and has no interest in reforming society’s self-appointed moral guardians. Instead, it offers women a far simpler solution: why care? If they insist on calling you chaalu, chhichori or worse, wear that lipstick, drape that sari and carry on anyway. If you want a break from routine love stories and action films and are looking for something different, entertaining, packed with dark humor, then this one is definitely worth a watch. My view on this movie Time Pass.
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