In Ammu, Aishwarya Lekshmi turns in a haunting portrayal of a woman in an abusive marriage. | THE ESSENCE OF AMMU (dir. Charukesh Sekar; starring Aishwarya Lekshmi, Naveen Chandra, Bobby Simha; language: Telugu; Amazon Prime Video) is captured succinctly in a conversation between the titular character (played by Lekshmi) and her mother. They're at a temple, when Amudha confides in her mother: Her husband Ravi (Chandra) slapped her. "Did you do anything wrong?" her mother asks. "Does that really matter?" Ammu shoots back. The mother gathers up enough courage to tell Ammu: "Do what feels right for you, and choose yourself first. Those are the words my mother should have told me." Ammu isn't solely Amudha's story; it also speaks to the many Indian women who suffer silently in abusive marriages. Ammu and Ravi's marriage initially seems like a match made in heaven: he's the son of her longtime neighbours, and a respected cop. But a stray incident reveals the sadist beneath the civilised veneer: One day Ravi beats his wife for a trivial reason, and it is only the start of a long, tortuous cycle for Ammu. | | | A DRAMA THAT SEGUES INTO A THRILLER | Ammu's Haunting Depiction Of Abuse | AMMU IS EFFECTIVE because Lekshmi's character isn't shown as becoming resilient overnight in order to end her abusive marriage. To begin with, she blames herself for the trauma Ravi inflicts. Ammu is the story of a woman coming to terms with who she is, and prioritising her safety. A level of intrigue is added since Ravi, her abuser, is a cop — meant to safeguard the public but seemingly without the ability to treat his wife as a human being. It's someone who operates on the wrong side of the law who ultimately helps Ammu fight back. Director Sekar tells his story skillfully, keeping his world compact and (a couple of false starts aside) successfully transitioning the narrative from a drama to a thriller. His approach eschews the simplistic to present a complex picture of abuse in intimate relationships. The screenplay is crisp, doesn't state the obvious and still manages to make room for several perspectives on the same situation. As long as the film sticks to the story of Ammu and Ravi, it has the requisite momentum. However, it flags with the dull characterisation of Prabhu (Bobby Simha), the criminal who extends Ammu a helping hand. Ammu is also hampered by its lack of a memorable soundtrack, and weak grounding in its location. The performances by Chandra, Lekshmi and Simha (the latter despite a sub-optimally etched role) elevate the proceedings beyond these flaws. Lekshmi's performance in particular — her silence, dialogues, body language — will haunt you long after Ammu concludes. In a film about empowered women, it's heartening to note the presence of cinematographer Apoorva Shaligram and editor Radha Sridhar. Ammu marks a sound debut for Charukesh Sekar, one in which he is able to get the message across without forcing it down viewers' throats. Ammu is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. *** Like what you read? Visit the OTTplay website or download the app for more stories on movies, shows and celebrities. | | | This weekly newsletter compiles a list of the latest (and most important) reviews from OTTplay so you can figure what to watch or ditch over the weekend ahead. | | Each week, our editors pick one long-form, writerly piece that they think it worthy of your attention, and dice it into easily digestible bits for you to mull over. | | In which we invite a scholar of cinema, devotee of the moving image, to write a prose poem dedicated to their poison of choice. Expect to spend an hour on this. | | | Hindustan Media Ventures Limited, Hindustan Times House, 18-20, Second Floor, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi - 110 001, India | | | If you need any guidance or support along the way, please send an email to ottplay@htmedialabs.com. We're here to help! | ©️2021 OTTplay, HT Media Labs. All rights reserved. | | | |