The Tamil version of the Hindi film Nil Battey Sannata, Amma Kanakku is a feel-good drama — the kind of film that leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling — despite dealing with an important subject: the need to have an ambition in life. It is a well-intentioned film that largely avoids the heavy-handed melodrama that such 'message movies' tend to go for, only succumbing to this pitfall towards the end.
The story revolves around Shanthi (Amala Paul), a single mother who works as a maid and does other odd jobs to make a living and raise her teenaged daughter Abinaya (Yuvalakshmi, adequate). But the girl has preconceived notions on life. She believes that just like a doctor's child growing up to become a doctor, she would grow up to become a maid. She isn't interested in academics because of this attitude of hers. Her worried mother, who wants a better future for her, decides to change her way of thinking by enrolling in the Abi's own class as a student. Does this ploy of Shanthi work?
( 3 / 5 )