Dream, dream as much as you can and follow them to achieve them. The lines of Abdul Kalam are further reinforced in Amma Kanakku which sees Amala Paul in a never-before-seen character, who ironically doesn’t know who Abdul Kalam is.
Dhanush is back to don the producer’s hat and after a stupendous film in the form of Kaaka Muttai, his banner, Wunderbar Films have a lot of expectations to handle. The latest from his stables is Amma Kanakku, a remake of the Bollywood drama flick Nil Battey Sannata. Ashwini Iyer Tiwari who directed the original has called the shots for the Tamil version too. The film stars Amala Paul as the mother of a 10 year old girl (played by Yuvalakshmi) alongside Revathi and Samuthirakani.
Amma Kanakku shows us the story of Amala Paul who’s a single mother, trying to make her ends meet and does her best to make sure her daughter Yuvalakshmi gets what she wants and studies well. But, her daughter on the other hand, has decided that her mother can’t afford her college fees so gives up completely on studies which leads to bad grades. Amala Paul does many jobss throughout the day to make their bread and butter and one of those places where she works is Revathi’s house and she is her mother figure to whom she turn for help and advice when needed. When Revathi gives her a surprising solution to solve her daughter’s studies issue, Amala Paul forces herself to do something and this weakens her relationship with her daughter. How her daughter sorts her studies out and if Amala Paul can be successful in her mission forms the crux of Amma Kanakku.
After her wedding Amala Paul, has rightfully become choosy with the films she’s working on and she has opted for a splendid role. It’s truly a gutsy move for her to enact the role of a 10 year old’s mother. But, a role which is supposed to invoke sympathy and compassion doesn’t seem to command it from the audience. Her local Chennai slang is also inconsistent in a couple of scenes.
As her daughter, young actor Yuvalakshmi has delivered a brilliant performance and does justice to the role of a 10 year old who assumes what she does is right. Director turned actor Samuthirakani, who has proven his acting prowess in the last few years has grabbed the role of a school principal. Though he has been used for providing comic relief, his mannerisms and actions are rarely humorous. They rather come out as weird and artificial.
Revathi is back in a Tamil film after a long time and as a doctor, she has done a beautiful job with her subtle acting. The kids who act as the school children need a special mention and their innocent acting is enjoyable to watch.
The film does a good job is showcasing the problems of those whose lives are threaded to the poverty line. Though the drama takes a laid-back approach in unraveling the story, there aren’t many uninteresting scenes. The director deserves credit for choosing such a film and giving us a sneak peak into the lives of the downtrodden. But, the emotional connect and the ‘feel good’ nature is somewhat lost in translation or in this context, lost in the remake. The Tamil version of Nil Battey Sannata couldn’t strike a chord in us nor give us the soul stirring feel that the original film did.
Overall, Amma Kanakku doesn’t add up.
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