KollywoodMix rating 3.5/5
Sarvam Thaala Mayam’s poster first released, the composition of the image immediately sparked interest. Launched into the air, looking up into space with a mridangam in hand was actor GV Prakash. And what was really intriguing were the contrasting religious symbols around his neck – a cross and a rudraksha kottai. On either side of the actor stood two temples, pushed to the background, colourised much lighter and yet undoubtedly standing out – much like the caste-blind attitude of the film itself.
Director Rajiv Menon has returned after a hiatus of 18 years to tell the story of a Dalit Christian, Peter Johnson (GV Prakash), and his aspirations to become a mrindangam player. Peter, the son of a mrindagam maker, Johnson (Kumaravel) is a natural musician who grudgingly agrees to help his father in his business. The caste-based tradition of passing on your occupation is initially justified by Kumaravel who says they are protecting tradition and culture but he also makes it clear that their community is not recognised for its contribution.
GV Prakash’s Sarvam Thaala Mayam, directed by Rajiv Menon is a tribute to something as important and intangible as that. The film traces the life of Peter, played by an energetic and impulsive GV Prakash, who is a Thalapathy fan aspiring to become a Mridangam Vidwan. Sarvam Thaala Mayam will remain GV’s one of his career best as he has delivered a very good performance.
One marvelous aspect about this film is the perfect casting and their performances of all the actors. Nedumudi Venu, Kumaravel, Vineeth, Aparna, Dhivyadharshini, name anyone, and their performance will bowl you over. Special mentions to Nedumudi Venu for his subtle yet extraordinary performance as Vembu Iyer is a show stealer.
Rajiv Menon must be praised for not shying away from bringing in the casteism prevalent in the music industry, especially the Carnatic concert music scene.
Rajiv Menon uses a show as a medium as we’ve seen in other movies. Since we know that the hero always comes out on top, in the end, the scenes play out quickly. And that’s exactly the problem with the film. Everything towards the end happens so fast. A romantic subplot between Aparna Balamurali begins but isn’t given a closure. Similarly, there are other subplots that aren’t given closure, which makes the film look a bit incomplete, but at a larger canvas, these might be ignorable.
The movie is so pleasant that Ravi Yadav’s pleasant work gets camouflaged in it. I’ve not mentioned a word about Rahman’s work here because that’s the biggest surprise element of this film. I can’t reveal much about it, but you’re going to clap with excitement in the climax, solely because of the genius’ background score.
The music for the film, scored by AR Rahman, shines in parts and it is indeed ironic that while the tunes are composed by a Muslim, most of the songs are sung by Brahmin singers. Why not walk the talk? The lyrics of ‘Varalaama’, however, along with the storyline, make us ask why only Carnatic musicians are kept on a pedestal and serenaded in a manner akin to god.
