After a three-year hiatus from the big screen, Bollywood star Kajol returned in a new avatar with Maa, her first venture into the horror genre. Directed by Vishal Furia, best known for the Chhorii franchise, Maa marks a bold shift in Kajol’s filmography and has opened on a promising note at the domestic box office. According to early estimates from industry tracker Sacnilk, Maa earned Rs. 4.5 crore (India nett) on its opening day. This performance significantly outpaces Kajol’s last theatrical release, Salaam Venky, which collected only Rs. 0.65 crore on day one.
The film registered an overall Hindi occupancy of 20.52% on Friday. As expected for a horror release, the morning shows saw a subdued turnout (8.23%), but occupancy steadily improved through the day, reaching 20.08% in the afternoon and peaking at 32.61% for the night shows. Regionally, Chennai led with the highest occupancy at 31.33%, followed by Lucknow at 28.75%, and the National Capital Region (NCR) at 27.00%. Mumbai trailed in fourth place with a 23.50% occupancy rate.
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Maa is set within the expanding Shaitaan cinematic universe, which began with the 2024 supernatural thriller Shaitaan, starring Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan. That film debuted to Rs. 14.75 crore and went on to become a horror blockbuster. Maa’s connection to that universe is expected to give it added momentum in the coming days, alongside generally decent word of mouth. However, Maa faces stiff box office competition. Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par, in its second week, reportedly earned Rs. 6.75 crore on its eighth day. Additionally, the international release F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt, made a strong start with Rs. 5.25 crore in India, further intensifying the race for audience attention.
The film tells the story of Ambika, a fierce mother played by Kajol, who will go to any length to protect her daughter from otherworldly threats. With rising audience interest in horror across regions and languages, Maa is well-positioned to benefit from a growing trend, where well-executed horror films are finding commercial success in Indian cinema.
