Overview
A mother's love is put to the ultimate test as she searches for her missing daughter, unraveling dark secrets along the way.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- tense
- intimate
- quiet evening
- serious film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's sensitive, emotionally authentic treatment of adoption and maternal hesitation, led by Jaya Ahsan's restrained performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film centers parental responsibility and explicitly engages with the social and legal intricacies of adoption in India.
Critics highlighted the candid treatment of maternal hesitation and the mother's complex emotions about motherhood.
The disappearance of a twelve-year-old girl is described as an absence that fractures time itself.
The adoption-centered narrative challenges conventional notions of family and parental love.
Films like Dear Maa, and why
Lion
shared maternal grief, adoption themes, and emotionally restrained family drama
The Lost Daughter
shared examination of motherhood, family responsibility, and morally complex emotional choices
The Missing Picture
shared disappearance-centered mystery, intimate domestic stakes, and psychological tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury
- Release Date
- 2025-07-18
- Runtime
- 144 min
- Rating
- 9.0 / 10 (2)
Cast
- Jaya Ahsan
- Saswata Chatterjee
- Chandan Roy Sanyal
- Dhritiman Chatterjee
- Shayan Munshi
- Padmapriya Janakiraman
- Anubha Fatehpuria
- Biswajit Chakraborty
- Sushnato Bhattacharjee
Common questions
- What is Dear Maa about?
- A mother’s search for her missing daughter exposes the fragile, conflicted meanings of love, responsibility, and family.
- What is Dear Maa like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dear Maa as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dear Maa violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Dear Maa.
- What did critics think of Dear Maa?
- Critics broadly praised the film's sensitive, emotionally authentic treatment of adoption and maternal hesitation, led by Jaya Ahsan's restrained performance.
- Which films are like Dear Maa?
- Films with a similar feel include Lion, The Lost Daughter, and The Missing Picture.
- How long is Dear Maa?
- Dear Maa runs 144 minutes.
