Sarvvam Movie Review

Banner: Ayngaran International 
Director: Billa-fame Vishnuvardhan
Actors: Arya, Trisha, J D Chakravarthy, Indrajith, Master Rohan and Co 
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

For the Rediff review, go here. 

Warning: If you’re one of those people who’ve booked days in advance and are a drooling fan of Arya/Trisha/Vishnuvardhan, don’t go any further – there are serious spoilers ahead. Important plot points may be revealed, and there’s no point bashing your head later. Instead, you can read the Rediff review, which gives away nothing. 

More movies have been destroyed by hype than you ever know – and despite the success of a film like Billa, Ayngaran International’s hugely anticipated Tamil venture, Sarvvam (Everything), directed by Vishnuvardhan falls prey to the bane of excessive expectations, leaving you with a distinct sense of something lacking.  

For one thing, there seem to be strains of the Oscar nominated 21 Grams, strewn heavily over the general storyline – its just that the movie’s first half is overdosed with light-hearted romance, and makes it rather unrecognizable. There’s the heart-transplant thing, love, loss, betrayal, blah, blah. And bizarrely, it’s only the first half that’s actually the best part of the movie. 

Its strange to see Karthik (Arya) bounce onto the screen, clad in Broadway-esque bowler hat, waistcoats and striped suit – but you enjoy the rousing Yuvan Shankar Raja number anyway, despite the fact that it fits in nowhere with the movie. (You even think he’s going to be shown as a model or something – but he’s an architect!). Fortunately, those cats-eyes and stylish moves help him along, accompanied by plenty of whistles and apreciative applause. And soon, it slips into romance mode: Karthik literally bumps into pretty pediatric doctor Sandhya (Trisha) on a go-karting expedition (they go on no other expeditions after that) – and its love at first sight, for him, anyway. She resist the idea, and for good reason, as his “love’ is based entirely on her good looks – he himself confirms it.  For the first time, I actually like Trisha in this one.

Meantime, there’s another storyline – a mentally disturbed Eeswar (J D Chakravarthy), who’s lost his family in a brutal car accident feels, in a twisted fashion, that he has to torment Naushad (Indrajith) and his son Iman (Master Rohan) – as payback for his own son. The problem is – he keeps looking at you expressionlessly so many times that after a point, you can’t really sympathize with the guy. And there are one too many shots of his wife and son getting bashed up. (Dircetor’s logic: We’ve canned them anyway, better use them up for full, brutal value.). There’s supposed to be a touch of insanity in his actions – but he just looks subdued. 

Just the same way, you can’t really sympathize with Karthik either – in fact, you feel some pity for Sandhya who steadfastly resists his romantic gestures. Surprisingly for Trisha’s work, she makes it believable when she does fall for him – and is perhaps the only shining part of the movie itself. The girl’s actually acted her part well.  

Plenty of duets ensue, while the background score is marvelous, proving just how good Yuvan Shankar Raja can be – along with art director Manu Jagadh, who’s done wonders with his sets – the visuals are astonishing! Watch out for that glass box song, and the one filmed in the desert. As for Nirav Shah’s camera work, there’s just one word to describe it: scintillating. Anu Vardan’s costumes are excellent, while Sreekar Prasad’s editing fits the bill. 

Sadly, those are the only things you can watch out for – the screenplay takes a nosedive immediately post the intermission. Just before the interval, little Trisha, biking with her lover, full of plans for the future, has her jugular vein cut off because of a manja-coated kite-string- and is announced dead. Its the only really moving part in the story – but its appeal is more because of its unexpectedness, rather than any sympathy with the character. 

Now here’s where you expect great histrionics from Arya, the bereft lover. And he does try – you’re reminded of the scene in Nammavar, where Nagesh mourns his daughter. But if that was a class act – this was just plain disappointing. Its obvious that Arya simply can’t let go enough to deliver a knock-out performance. You want to expect a Ghajini – the pureness of their love (what purity? In Ghajini, at least, Asin’s character had oodles of goodness, values and a real innocence; Sarvvam’s love is entirely based on physical beauty) should have moved you to tears, but nothing like that happens. 

But the crowning glory comes post intermission. 

Arya grows a beard (sign of his sadness), stands on the edge of the building he’s supposed to be building (he always wears helmets and stands on construction sites) – and wonder of wonders, Trisha’s father actually comforts him, telling him to get on with life! Now, this wouldn’t be a very big deal – had it not been for the fact that Trisha dies because of a silly bike race proposed by Arya, in the first place. 

Were I the father of a daughter who’s had her neck chopped off because of his ridiculous lover’s idiotic idea, I would have simply thrown him off the building site’s topmost floor. 

On the other hand, there would have been no story – so that’s pretty pointless. 

Now we found out how lunatic Eeswar’s story finally – finally! – snaps into Karthik’s life: Sandhya’s heart has been transplanted into Iman’s body – and Eeswar’s trying to kill Iman. Of course! Now that everything been tied up, the romance and comedy accounted for, let’s sit down an interesting cat-and-mouse game.

But wait – where, er, is the story?

You’ve got Arya running off to Munnar (and say what you will, its the most beautiful place on earth) to search for Iman, because he’s got Trisha’s heart beating inside him. Fine. You’ve got him trying to find some meaning in life, now that his beloved lives aagin. Well, ok – its not as though she’s come back to him in person, or its her brain that’s been transplanated – its only an organ, devoid of feeling. But we’ll leave that too – he’s a besotted lover, after all. 

What makes no sense is how Arya lands a mansion in Munnar like that – or how he suddenly becomes an action hero who’s Rambo incarnate – or how he actually escapes the debilitating effects of – gasp! – snake poison? Or not approach the local police, since Eeswar has followed them hotfoot? Or stay in a house full of glass windows where anyone can walk in, anytime? Or ignore his profession for weeks on end? And then escape, in filmi fashion, without a scratch on him?

And finally, why, why, why must he bash up the villain into pulp, thereby proving, for the 12767864585987th time that its brawn and not brain that wins? 

So much for a cat-and-mouse game that is more productive of yawns and disbelief at the credulous end, lack of logic, and endless chases.  

Inspired by several Hollywood flicks, Sarvvam should have been a gripping emotional drama with well-placed action – but the second half, with its lackluster performances and logic-less scenes, along with plenty of Arya-worship, tends to be tedious.  

Worth just one watch – and that’s for the stunning visuals, musical score and Trisha’s sequence.  

Pasanga Movie Review

Banner: Company Productions
Director: R Pandiraj
Actors: Kishore, Dharani, Murugesh, Vega and Co 
Music: James Vasanthan

Children’s movies always fill you with trepidation – especially when they’re meant for children themselves. Practically every movie that’s meant for “children” has horribly etched characters who are so two-dimensional that you’re bored out of your wits. Its as though children are akin to cats and dogs – they’re incapable of swallowing details, need to be spoon-fed, and have to be stuffed full of morals about honest living, studying well, blah-blah-blah.Then there’s the fact that these movies are a “risky” proposition. Simply put, there’s no money in it.  No star value, and certainly no actor with sense will ever act in such a film. Certainly we’d no chance of expecting something along the range of Ice Age here. Forget the technological advancements – where’d you go for a script like that?

But it looks like finally – finally! – that trend’s slowly starting to change. 

Subramaniapuram was a trend-setter – no doubts about that. It now looks like Director Sasikumar seems to be one of those rare souls who not only understands the need for intelligent films – but encourages their production as well. Company Productions’ latest, Pasanga (Kids), directed by debutant Pandiraj is one such venture: almost unadulterated delight.

Pasanga wins because it’s not just a fairy-tale – the children in it are really children, with their own jealousies, problems and unique viewpoints. When Anbukkarasu, a newcomer arrives in the corporation school to start the new year, old-hands Jeeva Nithyanandham, Pakkada and Kutti Mani (Kishore, Murugesh and Co) are understandably incensed – especially because Anbukkarasu is unafraid of them. Their intro scenes are superb – and productive of some good laughs. Actually, that thread of mellow comedy runs through the whole movie – mild, producing a small bubble of mirth underneath.

A petty rivalry soon blows up into epic proportions, as Jeeva’s cousin, Keerthana, likes Anbukkarasu a lot. Anbukkarasu is seemingly a model student – but thankfully, he’s refreshingly down-to-earth and normal. The movie comes with a beautiful love story as well: Anbu’s uncle Meenakshi Sundaram and Jeeva’s sister Kopperundevi (Vega) aka Sevappukkanni (Red Eyes – because she’s a nursery school teacher who always falls asleep in class) fall in love, and a delightful tale ensues. Watch out for the cell-phone tamashas the two engage in.

It’s as though you’ve been let into the corporation school of Viraachalai, in the vicinity of Thirumayam, and allowed to peek into the lives, trials and tribulations: Anbu’s family troubles, because his father won’t take the time to improve their standard of living, his mother Pothumponnu (Enough of Daughters! – a name given to stop the birth of female daughters), Jeeva’s parents, especially his father, who is mature enough not to take out his personal rivalry on his student.

You can hardly believe that this is Pandiraj’s debut movie – there are sly digs at all the present heroes, their tactics, influence – and the intricacies of everyday life in a small town are refreshingly detailed. All the children have done an excellent job – and sometimes you have to wonder if they’re real families, so perfect is the set-up. After Saroja, Vega appears in a sweet role, which does her full justice. Who knew so modern a girl would fit in so well in a semi-rural set-up?

The screenplay moves steadily, filled with enough pep and enthusiasm to sustain the viewer. Newcomer Crawford’s artwork, and Yoga Bhaskar’s editing are near-perfect. James Vasanthan’s background scores wins a lot more than the songs themselves in this feel-good movie that touches all the right spots. Get your kids and have a blast at Pasanga. The last half hour might be cinematic – but the rest of it is too good to miss.

For the Rediff review, go here.