Movie Review: Sarvam Thaala Mayam, directed by Rajiv Menon

‘Sarvam Thaala Mayam’: A film that questions the caste system and takes you through it by its musical story. Yesterday, I went to watch Sarvam Thaala Mayam written and directed by Rajiv Menon. The experience was sheer pleasure to my eyes and my soul. For a movie buff and a critic, this movie is a platter filled with a good story that questions the caste system, awesome music that any music lover (Carnatic Music) would love to tune in to and the addition of a perfect pinch of humour make it a wholesome good movie. Talking about the casts, each and every actor has done justice to their character and acted so well that it would stay fresh in your memory. As I mentioned earlier, this movie is sheer joy to your soul. The music is enriched with the goodness of Carnatic Music which is blissful to your ears. A. R. Rahman has once again made us spellbound with his magical music. The songs and the music are going to linger in your lips and it will keep on playing in your head in loops. I loved how the movie showcased varieties of music from across the country and magically get it connected to Carnatic music. It is worth praising!   Coming to the part of the direction, Rajiv Menon has done wonderful work. Each frame of the movie has been shot really well. Kudos to the director and the actors who bring raw emotions perfectly!   When it comes to the script, I found the plot enticing. The plot questions the caste system through the journey of a Christian Dalit boy who wants to learn and play the musical instrument Mridangam and Carnatic music. Now when I say it questions the caste system, you must be wondering how? Carnatic music is always dominated by the Brahmins and the society restricts the lower castes to teach. In this film, the protagonist is a Christian Dalit boy and hence, the boy is not allowed to learn Mridangam. And there are people who keep on reminding him the same by saying that music doesn’t belong to him as he hails from a lower caste. There is also a particular scene where the boy and his father is served tea in a plastic glass instead of a regular glass made of glass in a tea stall, as they belong to the Dalit caste. But, as we all know that music has no caste, religion or race, but the society demarcates. The movie dissolves the gap that the society created when a famous Mridangam player (who is a Brahmin) teaches the boy Mridangam and dramatic music in the guru-shishya parampara. The film also brings out the piousness of the guru-sishsya parampara, by showing the respect and love between a teacher and a student.   In conclusion, I would love to say that Rajiv Menon's, ‘Sarvam Thaala Mayam’ has done its magic on me. I was spellbound after watching the film and left the theatre with lots of emotions churning with me and wonderful music in my head.   I would recommend everyone who loves music or Carnatic music to watch this film. Rating:5/5 stars. To know more about the latest Indian movie releases, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.