Amma Kanakku

"Amma Kanakku" (2016) is a Tamil comedy-drama film directed and scripted by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari. Amala Paul, Revathi, Yuva Lakshmi, and Samuthirakani appear in the main cast. The story is about a determined mom who returns to school to encourage her slack daughter to study hard.

Shanti (Amala Paul), a school dropout and widow, works several jobs as a housemaid to support her teenage daughter, Abhinaya (Yuva Lakshmi). In spite of her problem, Abhinaya has no interest in her studies and simply tells everyone that she would like to be a maid like her mother. Disappointed and concerned, Shanti tells her employer Dr Nandhini (Revathi), who motivates her to attend school too. Shanti enrols in the same school as her daughter. Abhinaya is embarrassed but keeps away. Shanti is determined and dares her to perform better in exams. This makes Abhinaya work harder, particularly in mathematics. When the exams are over, Shanti drops out, thinking that her daughter has changed. However, Abhinaya confesses that she had studied only to make her mother drop out of school.

Shanti soon discovers that the funds she had put aside for Abhinaya's future have gone into clothing and accessories. Painfully and shockingly, she confronts her daughter. Abhinaya rides with strangers. Afterwards, she finds out from a friend that her mother's job is legitimate and all done for her benefit. Ashamed and tearful, Abhinaya sees her folly and the sacrifices her mother had to make. She then vows to study with determination. She passes her board exams, and years later, when she is interviewed for civil service, she confidently declares her aspiration to never be a maid, fulfilling her mother's dream.

"Amma Kanakku" is a heart-wrenching story of a mother's sacrifice and the daughter's transformation. With Amala Paul's strong performance and down-to-earth narrative, the movie very aptly brings across the value of education, self-respect, and perseverance. It leaves the audience with an emotional but optimistic message about overcoming poverty by learning.