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Star Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Ravi Kishan, Dharna Durga, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Arunoday Singh
Director: Suresh Triveni
What’s Good: Full marks to Triptii Dimri, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Madhuri Dixit, and Dharna Durga…strictly in that order for their scintillating performances!
What’s Bad: Some parts are incoherent and uneven, and even seem forced
Loo Break: Hmm… I don’t think one should!
Watch or Not?: For those liking darkly different dramedies, a surefire ‘Yes!’ Ditto for fans of the protagonist actors. For the rest, their wish!
Language: Hindi
Available On: OTT (Netflix) release
Runtime: 135 minutes
User Rating:
In a North Indian town, Rekha (Madhuri Dixit), a widow, lives in a home leased out to her by Guptaji (Ravi Kishan), who lives opposite the bungalow. Guptaji has always been besotted with her and jealous of her husband, Sukumar (Jatin Sarna), when the couple came to live in the neighborhood. Soon, a freak accident kills Sukumar, and the widow is generally considered a Black Widow, as she now continues a seemingly wild lifestyle, wearing glam sarees and working in a wine shop, after trying out her own businesses like running cyber cafes or selling nighties! Her daughters, Jaya (Triptii Dimri) and Sushma (Dharna Durga), live separately, Jaya in Patna, where she slogs as a conservative wife to Manas (Shardul Bharadwaj). Sushma tries to be successful as an influencer, and her rapport with Jaya’s husband is obviously not taken too kindly by the wife. As it is, the two sisters do not get along, and their claws are out all the time.
The neighborhood thinks the worst of Rekha, who wears sleeveless blouses (!) and does much more to tempt the men from the locale. Worse, she gets pregnant after her husband’s death and gives birth to Sushma. And the neighborhood’s opinion of the girls is also poor.
To make matters worse, Guptaji’s brother-in-law, Maheshwari (Arunoday Singh), is now a cop and has always had a (very) soft corner for Jaya from their college days. Guptaji’s wife (Geetanjali Kulkarni), who regards the three women as witches, disapproves of his liking for her.
The film, Maa Behen, begins with Jaya needing Rs. 5.5 lakh for an IVF procedure and a simultaneous panic call from her mother to Sushma and her to rush immediately to her home. Turns out Guptaji’s dead body is lying in their home! When the daughters reach there, Rekha narrates an involved tale of Guptaji’s lust for her, ending in a complicated mishap in which he is killed.
Rekha now plots to dispose of the body with her daughters’ help, but there is a hitch. At Guptaji’s home opposite, a pre-wedding event will be held that night as his daughter, Goldie (Rrama Sharma), is getting engaged. An elaborate plan is made, but do things ever go according to the best-laid plans of man and woman?
Maa Behen Movie Review: Script Analysis
The story, by director Suresh Triveni and Pooja Tolani, harps on the dark side of humanity. Pooja’s script, though laced with fabulous dialogues—sharp and trenchant, witty, and completely real—thus relies on complex developments, revelations, and twists that are at once hilarious on occasion and also indicative of irreverence and a sharp desire to show that our social fabric is more than a bit judgmental. At the same time, it demonstrates that most of us are not only grey but can also fall easy victims to life’s buffets despite all our deviousness.
Maa Behen Movie Review: Star Performance
The order of merit goes thus: Triptii Dimri towers, followed by Geetanjali Kulkarni (as Mrs. Gupta) in a shorter role, and Madhuri Dixit as Rekha, worthy of equal honors; and then Dharna Durga as Sushma, who, however, steals the show in specific scenes with all three actresses.
Ravi Kishan has a very different role and shines, as does Arunoday Singh as the cocksure cop who is floored by Jaya’s charms. Shardul Bharadwaj as Jaya’s husband is correctly hyper, and Paresh Rawal in an unusual cameo is alright. I also liked the considered over-the-top turn of Shrivardhan Trivedi as the Khalbali host and Rrama Sharma as Goldie.
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Maa Behen Movie Review: Direction, Music
Suresh Triveni improves upon the hyped Tumhari Sulu and Subedaar but falls (considerably) short of his thriller, Jalsa, despite a brilliant first hour. He has a decent grasp of the ironies of life, but cannot keep the narration crystal clear on many an occasion. Admittedly, almost all characters are grey-tinged, and yet Mrs. Guptaji and her cop brother do not panic despite Guptaji’s disappearance during their daughter’s wedding celebrations and therefore carry on with the festivities despite a missing husband. Only because a few messages coming to her on the phone stretches logic too far. And logic in a dark comedy can never be junked!
The background score is typical, which means good in parts only, while from the songs, Khol pinjra and Kaari kaari work within the film.
Maa Behen Movie Review: The Last Word
A curate’s egg of a film: good in parts and its intention to entertain, but not so solid in execution.
Three stars!
Maa Behen Trailer
Maa Behen releases on 4th June, 2026.
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