With her debut film, Nil Battey Sannata, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari made inroads into Bollywood.
Now comes her own Tamil remake of this successful family entertainer.
Titled Amma Kanakku (Mum’s Calculation) and directed by Iyer, the lead roles are played by Amala Paul and first-time child actor Yuvasri.
Paul plays Shanti, a single mother, (played by Swara Bhaskar in the original Hindi film) who works as a domestic help. Her dream is to see her daughter in a career that is far different from her own, but Abhinaya, her teenaged daughter, is happy believing that she will ultimately follow her mother’s footsteps.
Class 11 pupil Yuva plays Abhinaya, who is not inclined towards studying, especially maths.
A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, Yuva this year received the President’s award for dance. While this will be her first film release, Yuva will be seen in another Tamil film, Appa, releasing next week.
Paul, who plays a mother for the first time in her career, reveals that she gained weight for the role. “I observed my mother and her mannerisms more closely,” says Paul.
“There were times when I went blank and then my director came to my rescue. Having grown up watching Revathy’s [the actress who plays Supriya Pathak’s role from Nil Battey Sannata] films, this was a dream come true to share several scenes with her.”
“Amma Kanakku is special and I am proud to have worked in this. It’s a film that I would like to show my children tomorrow,” added Paul.
Actor Dhanush, who has co-produced the film with Bollywood’s Anand L. Rai, says that this is a story that needs to be told.
“It’s a story that dwells on the relationship between a parent and a child and it’s something we can all relate to; one that emphasizes on the importance of education.
Look out for actor Samudrakani in an interesting role.
Ilayaraja has scored music, while Nil Battey Sannata cinematographer Gavemic U Ary returns.
Amma Kanakku releases in India on June 24.
