Rhythm is an important element in our lives. The way we speak, the way we walk, or even the way I'm typing this review. Subconsciously, we all get tuned to that, and function accordingly.
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. Next time you see or visit a Carnatic concert, the movie will make you question why only brahmins (read upper caste) play/sing in them.
But it does not only do that. It makes a commentary on a lot of issues in society, in a non-preachy manner. For example, a scene has Kumaravel and GV Prakash at a tea shop where they are given tea in a plastic cup, rather than a glass. We know the reason why it's done... don't we?
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.
You can't refuse the fact that, with Sarvam Thaala Mayam, Rajiv Menon makes a terrific statement, and it's worth the 18-year penance.
[Review based on a special preview show to the press members on January 28. Catch the film in theatres, from February 1]