Movie Preview: Manisha Koiralas ‘Dear Maya’
14 year old Anna and Ira are best friends living in the sleepy town of Shimla. An old abandoned Bungalow near their house intrigues them. Legend has it that a woman Maya Devi who lived in the bungalow hadn’t stepped out for 20 years. When she had been a marriageable age, no man (there had been many suitors) had agreed to marry her and that had made her bitter, angry and retreat from the world.
Anna and Ira decide to write fake love letters to Maya Devi, pretending to be one of the suitors she met 20 years ago who was still in love with her. Maya Devi is transformed by the letters and decides to sell everything and move to Delhi to meet her suitor. Anna is horrified and wants to go to Maya Devi and confess, but Ira refuses. Anna and Ira have a huge fight, and Anna decides to confess by herself but ultimately chickens out. Maya Devi leaves for Delhi and Anna’s overwhelmed with guilt. She confesses to her parents who decide to send Anna away to boarding school, away from Ira who Anna refuses to speak to again. 7 years later Anna is now a 21-year-old college student in Delhi. Her past actions still haunt her and she is still looking for Maya Devi. Ira forcefully joins Anna in this search, even though Anna and Ira are no longer on good terms. The girls decide to go look for her in Delhi one last time. What they discover completely blows their mind.
