Madhuri Dixit’s Maa Behen has surged to the number two position on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Films chart within its first week of release, making it one of the strongest international debuts for a Hindi film on the platform this year. The crime comedy, directed by Suresh Triveni and produced by Abundantia Entertainment, drew 4.4 million viewers and 9.3 million viewing hours in the June 1 to June 7 measurement window, Bollywood Hungama reported.
The film claimed the number one spot in nine countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, the UAE, Mauritius, and the Maldives. It is trending in 15 countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, a geographical spread that underscores the growing appetite for Hindi-language content outside the traditional diaspora markets. For Abundantia Entertainment and producer Vikram Malhotra, who called the response “deeply gratifying,” the result validates a bet on female-led storytelling that has defined the studio’s recent output.
Maa Behen is now the third-biggest debut for a Netflix Original from India in the 2024 to 2026 window, behind only Jewel Thief at 7.8 million views and Accused at 7.5 million. Among female-led films on the platform, it sits fourth alongside Rani Mukerji’s Mardaani 3, behind Accused at 5.5 million, Crew at 5.4 million, and Do Patti at 5 million. The numbers place Dixit’s return to the screen in a commercial context that her theatrical absence over the past few years had obscured, and they suggest that established Bollywood names retain significant drawing power even when their primary medium shifts from cinema halls to streaming.
The film itself is a black comedy thriller that runs 127 minutes. Dixit plays Rekha, a widow whose life with her two daughters, Jaya, played by Triptii Dimri, and Sushma, played by Dharna Durga, spirals after a dead body turns up in their kitchen. Ravi Kishan appears as Charitra Gupta, Paresh Rawal plays Sushma’s biological father, and Geetanjali Kulkarni takes on the role of a neighbourhood busybody. The ensemble also includes Jatin Sarna, Arunoday Singh, and Shardul Bhardwaj. Pooja Tolani wrote the screenplay from a story she developed with Triveni.
For Triveni, the film continues a run of collaborations with strong female leads that began with Tumhari Sulu and continued through Jalsa. His ability to anchor genre narratives around women navigating impossible situations has made him one of the more distinctive voices in Hindi cinema’s streaming era, a space where mid-budget storytelling has found its most receptive audience.
The global performance also reflects a broader pattern in Indian entertainment’s relationship with streaming platforms. Netflix has invested heavily in Hindi originals over the past two years, and Maa Behen’s numbers suggest the strategy is bearing fruit in ways that go beyond India’s borders. The film’s success in South Asian and Middle Eastern markets, where Bollywood has always had a foothold, is expected, but its traction in parts of Europe points to an expanding audience base that Indian-language films on global platforms are increasingly commanding.
Triptii Dimri’s presence in the cast adds another dimension to the film’s commercial profile. She has emerged as one of the most bankable young actresses in Hindi cinema following Animal and a string of OTT successes, and her pairing with Dixit represents a generational bridge that the film exploits to narrative effect. That both women anchor a story about familial dysfunction and criminal improvisation, rather than a conventional romance or domestic drama, speaks to the widening range of roles available to Indian actresses on streaming platforms, a shift that has been reshaping how the industry values its female talent.
Maa Behen is available exclusively on Netflix. Abundantia Entertainment has a second Netflix Original scheduled for release later in 2026, though details of that project have not been disclosed.
