Nooru Sami

We’ve seen way too much amma sentiment in Tamil films for us to fall for it immediately. And yet, Nooru Sami, within ten minutes into its screentime, manages to do that. We don’t even know the characters well yet; all we realise is that two young children are being sent by their mother off to a hostel to pursue education, much against their wishes. The two throw tantrums, refuse to get on to the bus, and look teary-eyed at their mother, who just cannot look into their eyes to bid goodbye. She turns back, unable to process the look on their forlorn faces. She closes her eyes and clutches her chest, almost as if the entire world were resting on it. It’s a scene Selvi (Swasika) sells immediately. You almost wish the rest of the film had emotional heft like this. Alas, it doesn’t.