Kajol's horror film Maa, directed by Vishal Furia, has made a decent opening at the Indian box office, earning an estimated ₹4.50 crore on its first day, June 27, 2025. Despite facing competition from Vishnu Manchu's Kannappa and Brad Pitt's F1: The Movie, Maa has managed to make its mark.
Maa is a mythological horror film. It is a spin-off to the 2024 film Shaitaan and is set in the same universe. The film stars Kajol as Ambika, a mother who is trying to protect her daughter from a deadly curse. The cast also includes Ronit Roy, Indraneil Sengupta, and Kherin Sharma. In the film, Ambika and her daughter Shweta (Kherin Sharma) visit the hometown of Ambika's late husband, only to discover a demonic curse that threatens their lives.
The film had an overall Hindi occupancy of 20.52% on its opening day. Morning shows saw a subdued turnout of 8.23%, but occupancy increased throughout the day, reaching 20.08% in the afternoon and 32.61% for the night shows. Chennai recorded the highest occupancy at 31.33%, followed by Lucknow at 28.75%, NCR at 27.00%, and Mumbai at 23.50%.
Maa's opening day earnings are better than Kajol's previous theatrical release, Salaam Venky, which earned ₹0.65 crore on its first day. According to Bollywood Hungama, Maa has emerged as one of the biggest openers for a Kajol film.
The film has received mixed reviews. Some critics have praised Kajol's performance and the film's visual effects. Other critics have noted that the film's plot is predictable and lacks emotional depth. India Today noted that the film's VFX and mythology are strong points, but the plot is predictable. A Hindustan Times review excerpt noted that the idea of a desperate mother becoming Maa in the climax is well executed, but the social commentary is buried.
Maa is produced by Ajay Devgn and Jyoti Deshpande under Ajay Devgn FFilms. The film has a UA 16+ rating from the Central Board of Film Certification and a runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Despite the competition from F1: The Movie and Kannappa, Maa is expected to show an upward trend over the weekend, aided by positive word-of-mouth and the "Shaitaan goodwill". Republic World reports that Maa's performance has put "a huge dent" in the business of Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par.
