The love of a mother is eternal and it cannot be monetized or quantified. This love can make the mother cross the seas and climb the mountains. One such story of a mother who ventures out to find the truth behind the tragic end to the life of her son is Itlu Amma streaming now on the leading digital platform SonyLiv.
Story
Bala Saraswati (Revathi) was a widow living with her son who goes missing on a stormy night. Saraswati runs from pillar to the post in search of her son but could not found his whereabouts. Her efforts to seek the help of the police also could not yield any result.
Next day, Saraswathi receives a big jolt in her life after knowing that her son was stabbed and killed by a stranger. Her world tumbles down and now she wanted to know why her son was killed rather than to find out who the killer was.
How Saraswati, the lone widow, finds out the truth behind the killing of her son and how her search leads her to the killer of her son is the remaining story of Itlu Amma.
Performances
The character of Revathi seen in Edhiri of anthology Navarasa who was compassionate and kind gets extended in Itlu Amma. To write about the performances of Revathi would be like describing the fragrance of a Rose.
The performance by this National Award-winning actress was quite phenomenal in Itlu Amma. As a truth-seeking mother, she has displayed anguish, grief, despair, and motherly love in true proportions and in a befitting way that made her character the chief anchor of the film.
One particular scene, where she garlands the picture of her son in the presence of the alliance broker was just the tip of her acting potential as she brilliantly conveyed most of the feelings through her expressions without uttering a single word.
Posani Krishna Murali appears in a cameo and does his job. Ravi Kale fits well in the character of a policeman under stress except for his broken Telugu which sounded funny at times.
Behind the scenes
It’s quite heartening to see the veteran filmmaker C. Umamaheswara Rao back in action. His Ankuram (1993) was one of the path-breaking films that got him name and fame apart from getting him the National Award.
Revathi who plays the fiery young Sindhura in Ankuram gets into the shoes of a middle-aged widow Saraswathi as Umamaheswara Rao presented her in a subdued role in Itlu Amma having the same compassion and love towards fellow human beings.
The writer-director Umamaheswara Rao who is known for his thought-provoking films has once again brought to the fore the Gandhian philosophy amidst growing violence and atrocities. It was a great effort from him during this time of the prevailing eye for an eye and head for the head concept.
The timeline of the story was quite confusing and the concept of the letters also seems to be an outdated theory in these days of digitalization. Except for these flaws, the narrative though slow and high on melancholy has managed to put through the human relations aspect very well.
Goreti Venkanna’s gig (excellent choreography by Suchitra Chandrabose) was the other highlight and his song on ‘Capitalism’ was well written, composed, and picturized. The music of Sunny along with his background score was apt except for that rap bit during the end of the film which should have been omitted.
The cinematography by National Award winner Madhu Ambat was impressive and the editing by Prawin Pudi fits the narrative though stretched at some places.
Final Verdict
It’s a message-oriented film and a decent reminder of Gandhian philosophy which was getting undermined in present circumstances. Itlu Amma delivered a gentle slap on the system that is turning eunuchs into criminals and orphan children into juvenile offenders without giving them enough love and care.
Love and compassion are what we all need to show towards fellow human beings in place of hatred and intolerance. On this note, Itlu Amma ranks higher for its positive approach towards several social issues prevailing in the society.
