Maa
Directed bySarjun KM
Written bySarjun KM
Priyanka Ravindran
Produced byGautham Vasudev Menon
Venkat Somasundaram
Reshma Ghatala
StarringAnikha Surendran
Kani Kusruti
CinematographySudharshan Srinivasan
Edited bySarjun KM
Music bySundaramurthy KS
Production
company
Release date
25 January 2018
Running time
28 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Maa (transl.Mother) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language short film directed and edited by Sarjun KM and produced by Gautham Vasudev Menon, Venkat Somasundaram and Reshma Ghatala under his banner Ondraga Entertainment. The script was written by Sarjun and Priyanka Ravindran, and it features Anikha Surendran and Kani Kusruti in the lead roles. The music is composed by Sundaramurthy KS and cinematography was handled by Sudharshan Srinivasan. It was released on 25 January 2018.[1] The makers released a Telugu dubbed version of the short film on 23 February 2018.[2]

Plot

Maa tells the tale of Ammu (Anikha Surendran), a 15-year-old school-going girl from a typically conservative middle-class family — who discovers she is pregnant in the middle of a hockey match. After some warranted fear-induced deliberation, she confides in her mother, Sathya (Kani Kusruti). The mother's immediate reaction is, as expected, one of shock, disgust and anger. After the daughter persistently apologises for her 'mistake', the mother eventually accepts her. But, of course, they can't share this highly sensitive information with the uptight father, who is (rather forcefully) antagonised as a traditionalist with pre-historic, pre-conceived notions on what constitutes womanly behaviour. So, the mother decides that abortion is the only way her daughter can move on and get her life back on track. And Ammu willfully concurs, gets one and moves on.[3]

Cast

Soundtrack

A single from the film titled "Ennuyire", composed by Sundaramurthy KS, was released on 31 January 2018. It featured vocals by the composer Sundaramurthy and Padmapriya Raghavan with lyrics written by Madhan Karky.[4][5]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Ennuyire"Madhan KarkySundaramurthy KS, Padmapriya Raghavan2:16

Reception

The short film opened to positive response from critics. Writing for India Today, Kirubakar Purushothaman added "More than for his intention to bring the touchy issue to the fore, Sarjun deserves a pat on the back for not making the film preachy even when he had enough room to do so."[6] Ashameera Aiyyapan of The Indian Express stated the film as a "must watch, despite the pandora box of debates it might open".[7] Speaking to Firstpost, Prahlad Srihari opined that "Maa is a modest triumph in storytelling that will surely provoke discussion of some emotional and moral issues related to teen pregnancy."[8] Manasa Rao of The News Minute reviewed that "While the film is definitely a must watch, especially for parents, one wishes that it had ventured into actually looking at adolescent sexuality for what it is and not stuck to being a cautionary tale alone."[9] Nandini Ramanath of Scroll.in wrote "The film mostly steers clear from exploring female sexuality, but sheds light on the contradictions of a mother-daughter relationship. And it also touches upon the stark differences in the repercussions for boys and girls exploring their sexuality."[10]

References

  1. MAA - Short Film | Ondraga Originals | Sarjun KM | Sundaramurthy KS, retrieved 19 February 2021
  2. "MAA (Telugu) - Short Film | Ondraga Originals | Sarjun KM | Sundaramurthy KS - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. "After Maa, I'm now motivated to make a short film myself: Gautham Vasudev Menon". Cinema Express. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. Ennuyire - Sundaramurthy KS, Padmapriya Raghavan - Download or Listen Free - JioSaavn, retrieved 19 February 2021
  5. "MAA - Ennuyire (Lyric Video) | Sundaramurthy KS | Madhan Karky | Sarjun KM | Ondraga Originals - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. Kirubhakar Purushothaman (31 January 2018). "Maa short film review: An essential, emotionally overloaded 30 minutes". India Today. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  7. "Maa short film review: Like it or not, KM Sarjun's film needs to be watched". The Indian Express. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  8. "Watch: KM Sarjun's short film Maa is a preachy, cautionary tale on teen pregnancy". Firstpost. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  9. "'Maa' Review: This Tamil film on teen pregnancy is a must watch for parents". The News Minute. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  10. Scroll Staff. "Watch: In KM Sarjun's short film 'Maa', a mother and daughter confront teen pregnancy". Scroll.in. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
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