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Sarvam Thaala Mayam is less a story of hope against all odds than it is one of faith in the innate goodness of people, democracy of capitalism and paramountcy of talent. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a scene in the film where Peter Johnson (GV Prakash Kumar) goes to Vembu Iyer\u2019s (Nedumudi Venu) house wishing to join his Mridangam classes. Iyer\u2019s assistant Mani (Vineeth) insults Peter and closes the gate on him. A confused Peter stays on at the gate and plays music with children from the neighbourhood. Vembu Iyer hears the music, is impressed and comes out to meet Peter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An excited Peter says, \u201cSaar, neenga sangeetha superstar sir. Naan ungalukku periya cut-out vekkaren sir<\/em>\u201d (You are a musical superstar sir, I will erect a cut-out for you near where you\u2019re playing the next time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Iyer is amused, even empathetic, but refuses to take Peter seriously. At the end of the film, I felt exactly that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarvam Thaala Mayam is the story of Peter, a carefree youngster who spends his time playing drums, being a fan of actor Vijay and organising blood donation camps on the latter\u2019s birthday. GV Prakash Kumar is impressive as Peter. For most of the film, his emotions neutral and his acting restrained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we meet Peter and his family, we see a hardworking father, worrying mother and a youngster who refuses to take life seriously. Their dreams are small \u2014 a first class degree for Peter, a government job and a life out of poverty. Rajiv Menon does a reasonable job of not making this poverty porn. He treats Peter\u2019s life and family with respect, he stays non-judgmental about their prerogative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So much so that Peter seems to be oblivious to caste-based oppression he faces nearly everyday. When Mani tells him \u201cYou\u2019ll have a quota in a government music college. Go there,\u201d Peter nonchalantly responds that he doesn\u2019t need his advice. When he gets his tea poured in a plastic cup, he protests, \u201cnaan enna kozhandhaiya, plastic cup-la kudukkaraan<\/em>\u201d (am I a child that he\u2019s serving tea in a plastic cup!). Johnson explains untouchability to Peter, perhaps Menon explaining to the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of oppression only hits Peter when he begins to dream to break down the doors of casteism that are protecting Carnatic music. Even here, Peter \u2014 and the film \u2014 doesn\u2019t present it as systemic oppression based on his caste. Not that the film doesn\u2019t mention oppression \u2014 Like the scene where Peter\u2019s father says, \u2018when a cow dies, they\u2019ll call us to pick up the carcasses\u2019. Johnson gets some of the best lines about living lives under the clouds of caste-based oppression. Yet, at each point, reconciliation of the scene comes in the form of submissive acceptance rather than outrage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In that sense, the film seems to imply that if one is oppressed, one needs to keep their head down and keep doing their work, until they become no. 1 (or no. 2, if their guru is no. 1) and then the world will forget their caste. It is this approach that makes everything come to Peter rather easy. He never falls too deep, is never hurt beyond repair, all is never lost, so there is no reason to agitate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, Peter never loses himself either, so he never discovers himself. His travels \u2014 one to his village to meet the realities of his people, and other around the country to find his guru among the world \u2014 reveal as little to us about Peter as they do to himself. The title song, which is a montage of his country-wide travels almost feels like a national integration anthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At one point I wondered if the film was about Peter at all. There is a track in parallel that presents Vembu Iyer as a man burdened by traditions needing to be released into the modern world. This traditionalism vs. modernity debate seems to veer around spontaneity in music, boundaries of invention, being on Twitter etc. more than liberal-progressiveness and inclusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also the track with Mani, who can\u2019t make up his mind if he wants revenge from Iyer or Peter or both. Throughout the film, Mani is the only distinctly oppressive voice \u2014 he stands for the casteism in Carnatic music that Peter dreams of breaking. Yet, Mani is shown as a bitter failure jealous of Peter\u2019s talents rather than as a bigot who would deny Peter his rightful place. In the end, he also easily comes around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a novel, Sarvam Thaala Mayam might have just been good. The ideas are there. But as a film, Sarvam Thaala Mayam fails to evoke any emotion. For instance, after a night of spontaneous sex, Sarah tells Peter that she finds him distant, as if he\u2019s not completely with her. This is a sensitive observation. It makes sense, but it doesn\u2019t tug at one\u2019s heart. The film is full of moments like these \u2014 ones that are almost-but-not-yet that don\u2019t find their emotional landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarvam Thaala Mayam is, in fact, not a story of hope against all odds. It is one of faith in the innate goodness of people, democracy of capitalism and paramountcy of talent. In that, it feels to easy, unreal and falls just short of striking a chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n