"Righteous Rambo Ambika" is a story that takes place in Chettinad, a small village in Tamil Nadu, India. The protagonist, Ambika, is a strong and independent woman who owns the most popular diner (the Dravidian Diner) in Chettinad. The story mainly narrates the day when the diner’s peace is broken by the strongest and most feared gang of Rowdies in Chettinad. The ruckus they cause lasts only until Ambika steps in to protect her diner with the help of her wisdom, her confidence, and her diner employees.The story aims to urge a change in Indian women to stand up for what is right and help them realize the potential they hold to rise against the unfairness in the world.
Reference Images
Main Character Designs
The protagonist, Ambika, is a strong and independent woman who owns the most popular diner (the Dravidian Diner) in Chettinad. Everyone in the village respects her for her achievements and her strong demeanor. She believes in standing up for what is right and never backs down when her values are questioned. She is famous for her weapons, the Onake (a large wooden pestle) and the Katti (a long iron blade), which she carries tied to her back.
Senthil is the main leader of the strongest rowdy gang in the village of Chettinad. He is rough, muscular, and a heavy smoker. He carries several scars that he got from the gang wars and fights, along with his signature thick beard that has remained untrimmed for a while. Senthil has a very bad temper and is easily angered by the smallest of things. He always folds his lungi (a traditional garment worn in India; here, the orange cloth tied around his waist) every time he gets into his fighting stance. He loves playing cards and gambling. Senthil’s motive is to create fear in the minds of the residents and take over Chettinad and make it his turf. At the centre of this story, Senthil bursts into Ambika’s diner with his gang to take control of the diner and make it their base of operation. They start playing cards and create a ruckus to scare the people in the diner. Unfortunately, in the end, he fails to take over as Ambika and her diner staff overpower him and his gang.
The turnaround pose used for Senthil here is his stance for getting ready to fight. The 360-degree views of Senthil are broken down into eight views: the major four (front, back, left, and right), and the other four are 45-degree deviations from the major four.
Maravan is the deputy leader of the same rowdy gang in the village of Chettinad. Although he is not fit like Senthil, he is equally ruthless. Maravan is always on the lookout for the downfall of Senthil to take over the gang. He is a big eater, hence the big belly that is barely contained by his shirt. He is known for not having one of his shirt buttons, as it is believed that the button flew off, leaving his belly button open to the world. He always wears sunglasses, even indoors, to look intimidating. He rarely participates in the gang's physical fights, but when he does, he comes in with his illustriously long Katti (a sharp iron blade). Legends say that once he enters a gang war, there is no escaping alive. He slaughters anyone in his way. However, since fighting takes a lot of effort, he refrains unless his gang needs him. In the story, Maravan also joins Senthil in the operation to take over the diner, but, in the end, loses to Ambika’s warfare skills.
Secondary Character Designs
The ladies dressed in turquoise tops and pink sarees are the diner’s employees, whereas the others are regular customers. Starting from the left, Jatin is a daily wage worker who works at a nearby construction project. He comes to the diner every morning to meet Lakshmi, for whom he secretly has feelings. Hema is the head waitress at the diner and is next in command after Ambika. She has been the most loyal employee of Ambika for several years. Raman is a retired bank employee who likes to spend most of his time at the diner to cure his loneliness. Lakshmi is a happy-go waitress at the diner. She loves talking to customers about their lives and well-being. Chandru is a rich farmland owner in Chettinad who recently moved to escape the busy city life. He is known for his handsome tipping acts. Last, but not least, Shyamala is the hardworking, quiet, and soft-spoken helper in the kitchen. From grinding the masalas with the stone pestle to lifting heavy sacks of rice,she can do it.
Environment Design
This scene takes place on the first floor of the diner during the early morning breakfast hours. In this painting, Jatin and Lakshmi, who are secret lovers, are happily having a conversation about their lives. While Lakshmi was originally there to refill Jantin's plate with sambar (a south Indian dish for dipping food), she now uses it as an excuse to talk to Jatin. This scene in the film takes place before the rowdy gang's break-in to emphasise the diner's usually peaceful and jovial atmosphere. In the film, the two play the roles of comic relief, as they can be seen flirting throughout many scenes.
This piece is a still where the rowdies are gambling at the diner. This scene takes place shortly after the gang barges into the diner and finds places to settle down and play their game. The six people in this painting are subordinate gang members who take orders from Senthil and Maravan. They have less of a brain and more muscles. These gang members carry out petty thefts and robberies in the village to supply money to their leaders. Like the leaders, they love gambling with a side of masala peanuts. Here, the members are settled in the outer courtyard of the diner, purposefully blocking the way of innocent customers. They are loud and rough, and they only care about carrying out their gang leader’s orders. Later in the story, they get involved in the fight against the diner and end up running away when Ambika shows up.
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