"Sarvam" is awful!

I was really looking forward to catching Sarvam at theatres. Though Vishnuvardhan, the director disappointed with his last outing, I thought there was something to look forward to in this modern love story starring Arya and Trisha together for the first time. Add to it, this was supposed to be Indrajith’s return to Tamil Cinema plus you were getting to watch J D Chakravarthi in a significant role after ages!

Fortunately or unfortunately, I could not catch this one in theatres, something I was really unhappy about till I caught “Sarvam” finally as an in flight movie. At the very outset, let me tell you Sarvam is a movie that fails on all counts but two- Nirav Shah’s cinematography and Anu Vardhan’s costumes.

The movie begins with a happy go lucky, young, dashing architect (Arya) falling in love with a paediatrician (Trisha) at first sight. He literally chases her until she finally falls in love with him and they decide to get married. However, Trisha gets killed in a freak car accident and her heart is transplanted to a young boy, who is about to be murdered by a man (JD Chakravarthy) since the boy’s father (Indrajith) had accidentally killed his own son.

It is here that the script falters big time. To start with, the characterization of J D Chakravarthi is quite weak, so much so that as an audience you feel like giving a smack right across his face, when he keeps on saying- “My son passed away!”. It is so surprising that Indrajith does not really approach the Police to help him out of his predicament. The suspension of logic reaches its peak when Arya decides to protect the kid since the kid’s heart belongs to his departed love. By this time, if you start pulling your hair, no body will blame you.

The director literally drags the script and the lead players into the thick forests of Munnar in the second half and from there on, more than the characters; it is the script that gets lost to the point of no return. If there is one thing that remains consistent through the movie (apart from the pathetic script, that is), it is Nirav Shah’s cinematography which spells magic on screen. The romantic track of Arya and Trisha have been filmed in bright, vibrant colors and the green tone of agony that Shah lends to the second half of the film comes out a winner. Anu Vardhan clothes Trisha and Arya in the best of costumes. Trisha looks like a goddess on screen though she has very little to do in terms of acting. Arya is his dashing best, a far cry from his aghori avtar in Naan Kadavul!

Art Direction is good to one’s eyes but the whitish hospital interiors and the colorful children’s ward look too good to be true. Editor seems to be on vacation. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is just mediocre and there is no magic as far as re- recording is concerned.

Couple of things that stand out- Arya’s sincere approach towards an awfully written character and the repeated references to Ilaiyaraja’s romantic numbers. It gets more entertaining when Arya and the kid fight over the Maestro and A R Rahman! Prathap Pothan puts in an interesting cameo as the psychiatrist who is half mad!

To sum up, Sarvam is a typical example of body beautiful, soul zero! It’s time Vishnuvardhan moved back into stories of substance- like his earlier outings- Arinthum Ariyamalum and Pattiyal.