Aparna Purohit, head of Originals at Amazon Prime Video, said they zeroed in on Maja Ma as their first India original movie as the story has the power to “connect, inspire and entertain” the audiences.
Directed by Anand Tiwari, the family drama features Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit in the lead along with Gajraj Rao, Ritwik Bhowmik, Barkha Singh and Srishti Shrivastava.
Set against the celebratory backdrop of a quintessential, colourful Indian wedding, the story centres on Madhuri's Pallavi Patel and her quest to keep the family together while maintaining her own individuality.
Written by Sumit Batheja, the film premiered last week on Prime Video to positive reviews. “It is a story that is truly rooted in our soil,” said Purohit.
When Tiwari and producer Amritpal Singh Bindra shared the idea of Maja Ma, Purohit said it “resonated with the team instantly”.
Tiwari and Bindra also had the same opinion following Bhateja's narration as they could all connect with the family at the centre of the story. “Even though all of us come from different parts of India and socioeconomic backgrounds, we could completely resonate with the family in the story. This is truly an Indian film and Indian emotion that the audience will relate to,” the director said.
Tiwari, who had previously collaborated with Prime Video on the 2020 series Bandish Bandits, said Maja Ma has the ability to touch the audiences on many levels. “We all, at the end of day, have diverse yet similar lives and somewhere Maja Ma will touch your heart. It will make you laugh, cry and remind you of people and hopefully tell you a little bit about yourself. I think that is what a good film is supposed to do.”
Maja Ma touches upon themes of family dynamics and mother-child relationship. For Purohit, it was also an opportunity to pay homage to women. “We always expect our parents to understand us, but do we ever make any effort to understand them? I think, every milestone I have achieved in my life, there is some unfulfilled dream of my mother which has backed me to reach my goal. This film is a homage to that,” she said.
Maja Ma also features Rajit Kapur, Sheeba Chaddha, Simone Singh, Malhar Thakar and Ninad Kamat. The film is produced by Leo Media Collective.
