IMDb > Maya (1993)

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   244 votes
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Director:
Ketan Mehta
Writers:
Gustave Flaubert (novel)
Hriday Lani (dialogue)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Maya on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 July 1993 (India) more
Plot:
A frustrated housewife whose marriage to an average man does not meet her expectations enters into an affair with a younger man. Of course, there are no easy escapes from reality. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
First Look: Prince - It's Showtime!
 (From Bollyspice. 24 August 2009, 10:05 AM, PDT)

Adhyayan left Kangana for his childhood sweetheart!
 (From Filmicafe. 15 August 2009, 1:19 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Fantastic Adaptation Of A Sad Novel more (7 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Maya Memsaab
Maya: The Enchanting Illusion
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Runtime:
130 min
Country:
France | UK | India
Language:
Hindi
Color:
Color
Certification:
India:A
Company:
Forum Films more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Version of Die nackte Bovary (1969) more
Soundtrack:
O Dil Banjare more

FAQ

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
Fantastic Adaptation Of A Sad Novel, 11 April 2009
8/10

I saw MAYA MEMSAAB some two years after I read the book it is based upon. Gustave Flaubert's 'Madame Bovary'. The English translation of it from Bantam Classics. I had heard about MAYA MEMSAAB a long time back, sometime around when it was released. That was in 1992 or 1993. I was very young then. 10 years old. So technically I couldn't see a film like MAYA MEMSAAB, nor read a book like 'Madame Bovary', classic or whatever.

Though I couldn't see MAYA MEMSAAB, the film intrigued me a lot. Whatever I learnt about it from the media was enough to stir me. There was Shah Rukh Khan, a rising star. There was Deepa Sahi, who I had seen in her husband Ketan Mehta's earlier film 'Hero Hiralal'. I didn't quite understand what role she played. She was this mysterious woman who wore this huge cape and wielded a Mandarake-like wand. But that intrigued me. And I was like – What is MAYA MEMSAAB What is MAYA MEMSAAB? I saw a scene from this film on the weekly news-show 'The World This Week' on Doordarshan. It was a time when satellite channels had not invaded India and Doordarshan was the only TV channel and Prannoy Roy-hosted 'The World This Week' was the only English-language news-show in the country and all thanks to 'The World This Week' I came to know of brands like Gillette, Cathay Pacific and Van Heusen. Next, I read about it in the Sunday magazine of The Telegraph newspaper. Deepa Sahi wearing a white salwar-kameez, lying on a bed of rose petals. Wow! I was just waiting to grow up so that I could see MAYA MEMSAAB or at least read 'Madame Bovary'.

I read 'Madame Bovary'. When I turned twenty. It is one of the best books I've read so far. I liked its honesty. Its openness. I liked how this book calls a spade a spade without beating around the bush. And I liked its ending. It is very sad. Emma dies, her father dies, Charles dies, and Emma's little daughter is sent to work in a factory. A very suitable ending. Sad – for one couldn't help feeling sorry for the little child – yet, justified.

I saw MAYA MEMSAAB and found out that it is a very fantastic version of a sad book. Though it is fantastic, with some magical elements thrown in – hence, the name 'Maya', I guess – it, in some places, retains the darkness of the novel. There is this questioning feeling. What happened? What was supposed to happen? Sort of.

The acting is good. I liked Deepa Sahi. I liked Paresh Rawal. But I didn't like SRK at all. He looks like a fool. And I liked Farooque Sheikh in places.

The cinematography is nice. It brings out the fantasy element very well. The chemist's lab, the houses are very well done.

And I loved the songs. Just loved them. "Ek Haseen Nigaah Ka Dil Pe Saaya Hai", "O Dil Banjaaray", and "Yeh Shehar Bada Purana Hai" are songs I am constantly listening to on my mobile phone and laptop. Plus, there is this song-like conversation between Deepa Sahi and Farooque Sheikh. I don't have it and I couldn't find it anywhere. So, through my comment, I'd like to ask the readers if they could help me find this song. MAYA MEMSAAB is a nice movie. Well-made, aesthetic, with a hint of sophistication. Quite art-house.

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