Dear Maya brings Manisha Koirala back. The actress who has been away from the camera for long plays the character of Maya Devi, a woman who prefers confining herself within the four walls of her pretty house having no jest for life. Maya Devi is a woman who misses the fervour of love and the longing for something beautiful in life that can push her to think better of herself. She is not depressed. She is not anxious. She does not have any fear. Just that a heartbreak made her lost all faith in the happiness of life.
Directed by Sunaina Bhatnagar, Dear Maya is set in a rather calm city of Shimla. The story shows the transition between people of two generations and their way of accepting life. While the two teenage girls, Ira and Anna are obsessed with making Maya happy, Maya, on the other hand, lacks all the colours in life. Damp curtains, shut windows, broken glasses, a lifeless house and a perpetually sad Maya signify a world without hope.
Manisha Koirala in still from Dear Maya
After realising what Maya lacks in life, the two girls decide to have a prank with her, thinking it would make Maya fall in love with herself. It does. They write love letters to the middle-aged woman and make her fall for that imaginary woman. Everything is fine and the girls start enjoying the game. Maya starts looking better. She opens her windows for fresh air, feels the love in the air, starts wearing colourful clothes, transforms herself into the kind of woman Ira and Anna exactly wanted. The girls feel more confident and happy about what they have been doing until Maya Devi vanishes away in search of her love. Boom! And the reality strikes the girls.
Manisha Koirala in a still from Dear Maya.
This unexpected ordeal calls for a terrible fall out between two best friends and one of them goes to a boarding school. Six years pass by but the guilt remains. After six years, Anna sets on a mission to find Maya. The hunt begins in New Delhi and that’s when the film again shows how the emotions changes as one get more mature and aware of oneself.
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Also read: Dil Se to 1942: A Love Story, Bombay to Dear Maya: watch Manisha Koirala’s nostalgic ode to her films
What Dear Maya do for the audience is to (a) make them believe in both the happy and sad sides of life, (b) effectively show the importance of growth and maturity in taking life decision and (c) justify that sometimes situations and not people are cruel.
What makes this story a serene watch is Manisha’s performance. The actress gives all her charm to the character without any fear or apprehensions of facing the camera after such a long time. The difference between a hopeless mind and a heart seeking love is clear with how Manisha deals with her character.
Dear Maya is a nice, subtle way of showing the contrast of beauty around and the loneliless inside. It deserves a watch.
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