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Ammuvaghiya Naan (I am a person called Ammu), a simple Tamil movie produced by Parker Bros narrates the complications that arise in the life of a commercial sex worker when she undergoes a transformation from the oldest profession by choice to that of a loving wife.
Veteran R Parthepan willingly plays second fiddle to Bharati (billed as a debutante) who plays the protagonist Ammu. Yet they compliment each other in a soft sort of way.
Said to be a fictional biography, Ammu recounts a sad tale starting with a female infant sold willingly by her parent to a Madame, to the child's 'progress' in life as a beautiful girl Ammu (Bharati), who yearns to hawk her physical wares from copying other women in the bordello where she lives, and finally understanding the real meaning of existentialism.
A lecher called Nathan sporting a neck support (Mahadevan) agrees to pay a hefty sum to deflower the nubile girl (since when have houses of ill-fame started accepting cheques?) but is thrown out due to his abhorrent behaviour. After several 'suggestively' steamy scenes with myriad clients, Ammu stumbles upon a successful writer of novels -- Gauri Shanker, who is rich enough to own a swank residence and a 1000 cc air-conditioned car, but longs for an obscure award.
After a number of 'talk' sessions, Ammu gets married to the successful author but the ghosts of her earlier life return to haunt her in bedrooms, restaurants and finally in the bungalow of Nathan who heads the awards panel resulting in a slightly predictable climax.
The whole tale is narrated in the flashback format starting with a murder case being tried in a Sessions Court (?) whose judge repeatedly adjourns the matter after hearing it for a few minutes. Before pronouncing the sentence, he felicitates the very person who has admitted to be the killer in open court for the novel's being selected for the prize.
Parthepan and Bharati essay their roles well, etching them with an underplayed maturity which embellishes the aesthetic quality of the film.
Padma Magan's direction keeps to the basics and hence is simple and adequate. Photography by MS Prabhu is pleasing. Editor Suresh Urs has pruned the film sensibly while S Surulirajan's dialogues are a revelation.
Magan could have certainly created a better climax in his second screenplay for Ammu especially due to the fact that his earlier, forgettable essay had failed.
Rediff Rating: 