Director: Bani
Cast: Sai Dhanshika, Varsha, Varnika, Namo Narayana
Enga Amma Rani is a film of hardships and overcoming the odds that life had given to an ordinary person. Directed by S. Bani, the film features Thulasi ( Sai Dhanshika) in a pivotal role. A mom of two children –a twins, Thulasi is on the lookout for her husband who had gone missing somewhere in Malaysia. Resigned to the fate of bringing up her daughters all by herself, she takes up a job while in Malaysia to support the family.
Tragedy then strikes as one of her daughter Tara (Varsha) dies of a rare disease. Soon the other daughter Meera (Varnika) too is affected by the same, inexplicable disease. In despair and desperate to save the child, as per the doctor’s advice to move to a cold region, Thulasi takes her to a hill station in Malaysia. While here, a ghost enters the body of Meera and she is consumed by an urge to seek justice and nab the murderers of her family. In the process, the ghost eliminates any symptoms of Meera’s disease. But in a classic case of one step forward and two steps back, Thulasi now finds out that once the ghost leaves Meera’s body, she will be no more. An emotional ride to save Meera forms the reminder of the film.
Enga Amma Rani is a mixed bag at the end of the day. The relationship between the parent and the twins are natural and well done. The stuff about ghosts and the supernatural element is a little gimmicky and clichéd. Further, even if the first half had the making of a slow film, an emotional progression based on reality would have been a satisfying experience. The ghost needn’t enter the picture and we would have had a slightly different trajectory but with an equally rewarding climax. Luckily, the movie does pick up towards the end, leaving us with touching recollections.
The masala aspects of Indian cinema have largely been left out of Enga Amma Rani - and for good reasons. It does mean that you’d have to be very patient to make this a worthwhile viewing experience. Sai Dhanshika is pretty much the highlight here: tough, determined, and also vulnerable to grief when the situation demands. Without her presence, the film would become a collection of unintelligible clippings. Varsha and Varnika as the twins are cute and pleasant.
Backgrounds by Ilaiyaraja sometimes hugely elevate a scene, and at other times, is a bit dull - a microcosm of the film itself. Cinematography by A. Kumaran and S.R. Santhosh Kumar are beautiful. They’ve been provided with some of the most scenic locations in Malaysia. The poor production values are visible in many places especially the lack of visual effects.
Overall, Enga Amma Rani is a sincere attempt by Bani. The defects can be overlooked as the team has clearly put in a lot of passion behind this project.
