Movie Review
She marries Ravi (Naveen Chandra) and starts a new chapter in her life. At first, things seem perfectly fine, but after a trivial incident, things take a turn for the worse when Ammu's husband physically assaults her. She soon realizes that Ravi is not at all what she imagined. After enduring numerous insults, he decides to teach her a lesson. Ammu teams up with parolee Prabhu (Bobby Simha) to destroy Ravi. This sets the stage for a game of cat and mouse.
Directed by Charukesh Sekar, the basic plot of Ammu is quite interesting - something quite relevant and realistically possible. However, it doesn't reach its true potential as the writing lags. Ammu begins with a classic song, Aha Naa Pellanta from Mayabazar (1957). The track still feels fresh and does a good job of emphasizing the titular character's desire to settle down with "prince charming".
Soon the focus shifts to her married life. Unfortunately, this is where the film falls down, as the writing is rushed. As a result, there is not much chemistry between Naveen and Aishwarya, at least in the initial parts. But Ammu begins after the story explores the darker side of their relationship. The sequences depicting domestic violence are handled with a sufficient degree of maturity. There is no attempt to sensationalize things. Moreover, the creators ensure that the main character is not objectified in any way. This allows these scenes to hit the right notes with their organic intensity.
Given the subject matter, several sequences are not for the faint of heart. A case in point is the scene where Ravi 'apologizes' to Ammu after hitting her. It does a great job of making him look like a hypocrite. Another sequence where Ravi insults his wife also works well as it looks quite realistic.
But after Bobby Simha's entry, Ammu slows down once again. Jigarthanda actor's character is not portrayed properly. The writer tells us a lot about his past but fails to 'show' us the same. This makes it difficult to associate a person with his actions. Due to Simha's boring character in the film, the thrilling climax is spoiled.
Performances
Coming to performances, Aishwarya Lekshmi, who didn't get enough coverage in Dhanush-led Jagame Thanthiram, does justice to the most challenging role of her career. He tries to internalize his character's trauma and allows for his silences in several biting scenes. The actress reveals Ammu's weaknesses in a scene where she tries to understand her husband's behavior.
Naveen Chandra is sincere in his role as the domineering and abusive husband. However, it fails to meet the standards set by other actors in the industry. Bobby Simha plays a poorly written character. She shines in the opening scene. I mean, he deserved better.
The support staff serves its purpose. Apoorva Shaligram's cinematography captures the grim nature of the film quite well. To sum up, Ammu is a sensitive take on domestic violence with a sincere performance by Aishwarya Lekshmi, whose screen work is little lacking.