Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Depictions, deft and daring -- Ammuvaagiya Naan

BOLD ATTEMPT: Ammuvaagiya Naan

Director: Padmamagan

Cast: Parthiban, Bharati

Storyline: Life changes incredibly for the heroine, a call girl, when a writer marries her.

Bottomline: Lending finesse to a backstreet tale!

Stories of call girls and courtesans are nothing new. But treatment is what makes Parker Bros’ ‘Ammuvaagiya Naan’ (U/A), different.

It’s evident that story-screenplay writer and director Padmamagan has chiselled the script with care and caution — the result is a gripping line. Cinematic allowances and contrived reactions there are, but they in no way hamper the smooth unfolding of the story. ‘Ammu …’ could have become a predictable tragedy, but appreciably the director has concluded it on a positive note. The diligence that has gone into its scripting makes ‘Ammu…’ worthwhile. By and large it’s an effective linear narration. At times ‘Ammuvagiya Naan’ reminds you of the three-decade old film, ‘Avalum Penn Thanae,’ in which Sumitra did a splendid job.

Parthiban’s dignified underplay and poignant expressions are assets of ‘Ammu …’ After ‘Azhagi’ the actor makes a striking impact as Gowrishankar, a writer who falls in love with Ammu (Bharati), a girl brought up in an atmosphere where morals mean little. That she is into the oldest profession doesn’t deter him in the least.

Marriage brings about a transformation in Ammu’s nature and she begins to understand the sanctity of the bond. But will society let this couple be?

It’s a bold role and a big break for heroine Bharati whose three earlier films are nothing to write home about. Looking chic and petite she shines in the latter half as the loving wife desperately wanting to help her husband. But initially her attitude towards her kind of work is rather abnormal and puzzling! Kind and understanding procuress of the likes of Rani (Sadhana) can probably be seen only in cinema. Nevertheless Sadhana does a neat job of it.

It would sound prudish to dwell on the lusty overtures in a couple of bedroom sequences, because lechers are only few and far between in ‘Ammu …’

When Padmamagan has so judiciously avoided a comedy track in a film of this genre, you wonder why he had to succumb to the inclusion of an item number of sorts. M.S.Prabhu’s camera and Sagu’s art compete with each other to create an exotic milieu.

The lighting, angles and sets in ‘Ammu …’ belong to a superior category — aesthetics rules the roost here. And if the film maintains the right tempo, without either being racy or slow, credit should go to Suresh Urs (editing) in good measure.

The soothing title music says enough about the potential of the composing duo Sabesh-Murali. The melodious song, ‘Kadalae Kadalae’ and the lilting refrain, ‘Unnai Charan Adaindhaen’ have been beautifully incorporated in the re-recording.

With a theme of this nature, Padmamagan could have easily gone overboard and made it crass. Appreciably he doesn’t.

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail