Lakshmy Ramakrishnan's Ammini inspired by a ragpicker's life

Actor-filmmaker Lakshmy Ramakrishnan's upcoming Ammini is based on the funny yet inspiring life of 79-year-old woman ragpicker whom the director met on her television show, Solvathellam Unmai.

Actor-filmmaker Lakshmy Ramakrishnan's upcoming Tamil film Ammini is based on the funny yet inspiring life of 79-year-old woman ragpicker, whom the director met on her television show, Solvathellam Unmai.

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"When I met this lady on my show, she influenced me so much that I wanted to talk about it to everybody around me. It looked like an intriguing and funny story and I thought why can't I make it into a film," said Lakshmy.

Initially, Lakshmy was looking for someone to co-produce the film with her.

"When producer Ven Govinda heard the concept, he asked me to only worry about the creative part and leave everything else to him. He said it would be his pleasure to produce the film," she said.

The film's story will not be based on the ragpicker's life, clarifies Lakshmy.

"She'll be the theme of my story. I don't intend to go deep into her life. She had nothing, not even a shelter, but she was still so happy when she came on the show. That's what influenced me the most," she added.

Will Lakshmy cast an older actress to essay the part of the ragpicker?

"We haven't yet figured out whether it will be apt to cast a 79-year-old or someone younger for the role. Once the script is complete, we can decide on the casting part. But I want to give the story a fantasy touch," she said.

"I've decided to spend the required time on the script because I want it to be as organic as possible. I don't want to manipulate it. I don't want other factors to influence me in the process of developing the script," Lakshmy added.