Maa

Maa

Year: 1992

Runtime: 146 mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Ajay Kashyap

Ram Khanna, a wealthy man, follows a fake astrologer’s prophecy that his bride’s name will start with “M.” He marries Mamta, the daughter of a prostitute, and brings her into his family. Her assertive takeover alienates brother Murli and his wife Maya, who are later expelled. After Mamta’s murder by a hired hit‑man, her spirit returns to haunt the household and expose Murli and Maya’s treachery.

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Timeline & Setting – Maa (1992)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Maa (1992). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Puna

Set in the town of Puna, the film follows a wealthy industrialist's household and a close-knit community. The story moves between Ram's opulent home, the family compound, and a shadowy underworld where secrets and money drive the action. The town's social fabric—greed, social stigma around Mamta's background, and the pursuit of power—shapes every major beat.

🌆 Town 🏠 Domestic setting 🕍 Temple

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:39

Main Characters – Maa (1992)

Meet the key characters of Maa (1992), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Ram Khanna (Jeetendra)

A wealthy industrialist with a trusting soul who is slow to suspect deception within his inner circle. He marries Mamta, choosing love over social stigma, and must confront Murli and Maya's schemes when a fortune is at stake. His faith in Mamta is tested as tragedy strikes, yet he remains driven by duty to Munna.

💼 Wealth ❤️ Love 🛡️ Loyalty

Mamta (Jaya Prada)

A dancer who enters Ram's life and challenges the divisive norms around her background. She shows resilience by taking control of Ram's life to thwart the villains and protect her family. She is murdered by Gulu Goli, and her ghost fights back to protect Munna and reveal the truth.

💃 Dancer 🛡️ Protector 👻 Ghost

Murli Manohar Khanna (Shakti Kapoor)

Ram's elder brother's wife’s husband? The elder brother’s ally in crime; He and Maya scheme to steal Ram's wealth. He orchestrates the plot to murder Mamta and seize the fortune, displaying ruthless greed and manipulation.

💰 Greed 🗡️ Schemer 🧠 Cunning

Maya (Aruna Irani)

Murli's partner in crime; She fuses ambition with cunning to help drain Ram's wealth. She participates in the plan to ruin Mamta and is entangled in the resulting conflicts until the undercover reveal by Mona.

💼 Ambition 🧩 Schemer 🕯️ Deception

Gulu Goli (Gulshan Grover)

A ruthless goon hired by Murli and Maya to execute their plan, including Mamta's murder. He traps Mamta and steals the money, leaving a trail of violence behind him.

🔪 Hitman 🗝️ Secretive

Heerabai (Sushma Seth)

Mamta's mother, a prostitute whose background casts a long shadow over Mamta's life. Her status is a key driver of the social stigma explored in the film and influences Mamta's fate and decisions.

🧩 Stigma 🧭 Family Background

Mona (Sahila Chaddha)

An undercover cop who befriends Murli and Maya to investigate the case. She uncovers Mamta's disappearance as part of the deception and reveals the truth to Ram, guiding the pursuit of justice.

👮‍♀️ Undercover 🕵️ Investigator

Munna

Mamta and Ram's baby boy, whose safety becomes the central stake of Murli and Maya's greed. He suffers when Mamta is killed, and is ultimately protected as Mamta's memory and Ram's actions strive to keep him safe.

👶 Baby 🛡️ Innocence

Dobby

Mamta's pet dog who alone can see her ghost and assists in protecting Munna. Dobby's presence anchors the emotional core of Mamta's attempt to safeguard her family.

🐶 Dog 👀 Witness

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:39

Major Themes – Maa (1992)

Explore the central themes of Maa (1992), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔥 Revenge

Mamta's murder triggers a ghostly pursuit of justice that tests loyalties and pushes the characters toward decisive actions. The narrative tracks Ram's faith in Mamta as Murli and Maya's greed pushes them toward murder and deception. A supernatural intervention, with the Kapalik's dark magic, escalates the conflict and forces a reckoning that exposes true intentions.

💔 Stigma

Mamta's background as the daughter of a prostitute becomes a battleground for prejudice and manipulation by Murli and Maya. Ram's choice to love Mamta challenges the town's judgments and explores the tension between social norms and personal loyalty. The story uses this conflict to underline themes of forgiveness, acceptance, and family protection of Munna.

👻 Supernatural Empowerment

Mamta returns as a ghost, gaining the power to touch and influence the living to protect Munna and expose the villains. The Kapalik's dark rites and the trickery of Murli and Maya set up a clash between earthly greed and otherworldly justice. Ram's awakening to Mamta's presence finally reveals the truth and restores her agency.

🏠 Family & Duty

At its core, the film centers on Ram's family and Mamta's motherhood in the face of danger. Family loyalty clashes with greed as Murli and Maya attempt to seize wealth and destroy Munna's future. In the end, love, protection, and responsibility guide the surviving relationships toward redemption.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:39

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Vengeful ghost stories like Maa

A restless spirit returns to expose secrets and deliver justice from beyond the grave.If you liked the vengeful spirit in Maa, you'll enjoy these movies where ghosts return for justice. This section features similar supernatural revenge thrillers and haunting tales of betrayal, where the afterlife becomes a tool for exposing the truth and settling scores. Discover movies with a dark tone, high tension, and a bittersweet sense of closure.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically begins with a grievous injustice, such as a murder, which forces the victim's spirit to remain earthbound. The ghost then uses its supernatural abilities to haunt the perpetrators, often their own family or close associates, slowly driving them to madness or forcing a confession. The story unfolds as a slow-burn revelation of the crime, culminating in a cathartic, if somber, resolution where justice is served, but the loss remains.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their central premise of supernatural retribution. They share a dark, tense mood, a steady pacing that builds suspense, and a heavy emotional weight stemming from betrayal and death. The focus is on the emotional journey of the ghost seeking closure and the psychological unraveling of the villains.

Gothic family melodramas similar to Maa

Dark secrets and betrayals fester within a wealthy family, leading to tragic consequences.If you enjoyed the family greed and betrayal in Maa, explore these dark melodramas. This collection features movies about wealthy families torn apart by secrets, inheritance, and murder, often with a gothic or suspenseful atmosphere. Find stories with a steady pace, heavy emotional weight, and a focus on the bitter consequences of familial treachery.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a family, usually affluent, whose seemingly stable existence is shattered by the introduction of an outsider or the revelation of a deep-seated secret. Greed and jealousy among siblings or in-laws fuel a plot that often leads to a heinous crime like murder. The aftermath explores the psychological toll and the eventual exposure of the treachery, resulting in a fractured family and a bittersweet resolution where order is restored but at a great cost.

Why These Movies?

These movies are connected by their focus on familial conflict driven by dark motives like greed and betrayal. They share a high emotional weight, a dark tone, and a steady, deliberate pacing that allows the tension to simmer. The combination of domestic drama with intense, often tragic, plotlines creates a distinct, heavy viewing experience.

Unlock the Full Story of Maa

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Maa Summary

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More About Maa

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