Violence has increasingly dominated movies recently with films apparently competing on who has the highest body count and who spills the most blood(Thiruppaachi wins on both counts!) Even romances like Kaadhal are not immune to violence as the lead couple is invariably threatened by rowdies of some kind. So a movie that places emphasis on the relation between a son and his parents provides a welcome interruption. This makes the poorly-named Amma Appa Chellam enjoyable inspite of its slow pace.

Chellam(Bala), who comes from a poor family, warms the hearts of his affectionate parents (Periyardhasan, Sabitha Anand) by scoring first in the district. After enrolling in college, Nandhita(Chaya Singh) falls for him. Chellam loves her too but refrains from revealing his feelings since getting a good job and improving his parents' life is his first priority in life. But even for a student with his credentials, getting a job without a hefty bribe is easier said than done.

Amma Appa Chellam is a 'clean' film - a description that will not apply to most movies today. It has no sex or vulgarity and the violence is limited to a single, non-bloody fight sequence. Relying on the story alone, the director appreciably avoids elements that could lead to vulgarity or violence. For instance, there is no comedy track and there are no villainous characters. Even the second heroine, inspite of initial indications to the contrary, avoids becoming the third point in a love triangle (the character whose usual role, like in Aasaiyil Oru Kadidham, is to seduce the hero!). And the only character that has some non-nice things to say, Bala's uncle, is reduced to the level of a comedian.

It is also a refreshing change to have a hero who is likeable and whose attitude in life could make him a good role model. Periyardhasan and Sabitha Anand showering love and affection on him and he reciprocating the affection after he grows up are sequences that are heartwarming. The way he learns Chaya Singh's attitude towards his family is also sweet. Satya is the other character that is shaped well. He earns our liking easily as he tries to help Bala at every opportunity and his humor-laced comments during the climax earn him a lot of points (the way the climax is stages earns the director some points too). Lord Ganesh plays an important role in the film too. While voicing his thoughts at various points seems like a cute idea, the comments should definitely have been less loud and crude.

But it is clear that the director has struggled to pad the running time without elements like a comedy track, fights, etc. Like Machi, this is another film that is in dire need of some editing. The movie takes a long time to get to the main story and individual sequences(like the competition to scale the wet pole and grab the prize at the top) drag on endlessly. The scenes seem longer since we know how they are going to end too!

Bala downplays his role and is likeable as the studious hero. The chattering and pursuing is left to Chaya Singh who uses her expressive face to good effect as usual. Satya doesn't have a very expressive face but his casual dialog delivery reminds one of Parthiban and is quite funny. Periyardhasan and Sabitha Anand bring out their affection well, the former more than the latter.