How long can a spouse keep ‘adjusting’ in a miserable relationship? Aiswarya Lekshmi-starrer ‘Ammu’ unfolds the story of a woman's fight against her abusive husband and her own fears.
The central character, Ammu, is a meek yet zealous woman in her 20s who has happily agreed for an ‘arranged’ marriage with CI Ravindranath aka Ravi, a cop.
Though, the film initially shows the duo’s days of marital bliss, things take a bad turn when Ammu forgets to take lunch to Ravi’s office one fine day.
She ends up being scorned by Ravi, who starts blaming her for silly reasons. In an instance, Ravi mocks Ammu calling her a ‘careless’ wife in front of his colleagues during a family meet. When questioned about his insult, Ravi leaves Ammu on the middle of the road on the way back and threatens her that he would not allow her to enter their home next time.
It did not take much time for Ravi to start physically abusing Ammu for mere reasons, thereby, leading to a cycle of domestic abuse behind closed doors.
However, Ammu, unlike the character Amrita Sandhu (played by Taapsee Pannu) in ‘Thappad’, does not walk out of the relationship immediately but convinces herself that her unconditional love can reform her husband. In an incident in which she is badly injured after being hit by Ravi, Ammu leaves the house but comes back the same day to tell him that he is her world and she cannot leave him easily.
In the due course, Ammu becomes scared for her life, crumbling her love and trust for Ravi. She becomes desperate to pull herself out of this toxic relationship and strives to find a solution for her peace of mind. Her helplessness brings her to a point where she seeks the help of an improbable ally, Prabhu, a murder convict on parole.
Meanwhile, Ravi finds pleasure in inflicting pain and emotional pressure on his wife and at the same time, keeps it a point to maintain a 'perfect' and 'caring' husband image in front of others.
Finally, Ammu, with the help of Prabhu, decides to teach Ravi a lesson and regain her lost spirit and life.
Aiswarya Lekshmi as Ammu delivers a remarkable performance. She is a delight to watch on the screen and the audience can easily empathize with the character due to Aiswarya's impeccable adaptation as Ammu.
Telugu actor Naveen Chandra, who has played the role of Ravi, also impresses. Bobby Simha as Prabhu has also done justice to his character. The film also features Maala Parvathy and Anjali Ameer in supporting roles.
The multilingual film, which has been directed by Charukesh Sekar, has kept the storyline simple yet convincing. Most of the scenes are set in the backdrop of the couple's house and police station. The movie includes a number of poignant yet striking scenes depicting Ammu's emotional outbreaks when she is alone.
Ammu offers a powerful message to women who are being taught or convinced to ‘tolerate’ any action by men, even if it gets physically abusive.
('Ammu' is available on Amazon Prime)
