Carmeni Selvam Movie Review:

As the financial year has just begun, a sizeable number of those reading this review have already seen their salaries come in, only to immediately disappear from their accounts for bills and EMIs. For a lot of us, toiling for a whole month, pushing our demotivated selves to work until salary day, the sound of Google Pay’s payment confirmation tone is probably the most deafening of them all. In a season of appraisals where we’re inevitably made to think about our revenue and whether we would get our deserved incentives, Ram Chakri drops Carmeni Selvam, a film that makes us quietly question our financial choices. With a commanding Samuthirakani and a restrained Lakshmipriyaa Chandramouli, the film makes us take a pause to analyse if our run in the money-making race is even worth it. 

Cast: Samuthirakani, Lakshmipriyaa, Gautham Menon, Abhinaya

Director: Ram Chakri

Selvam (Samuthirakani), a driver, and Shanthi (Lakshmipriyaa), a street food vendor, barely earn enough to make ends meet. As a lower-middle-class family, situations push them to rethink their financial status. As Shanthi advocates their family’s need for more money, a satiated Selvam becomes greedy, and the film shows us how it leads to instability and a life led without integrity.

The film starts by showing how Selvam is content with his compact family and a dinky house by the sea. Troubles begin when society gets to have a say in how they lead their lives. When his sister’s daughter comes of age, they’re invited to the function, and he has ‘seer’ duties as a maternal uncle. While an aware Selvam chooses to gift as per his capacity, a dignified Shanthi even sells her nuptial chain to give them an expensive gift, being insulted despite it. There begins the greed for money, which makes her question what answer they have if their son grows up and asks them what they’ve saved for him. An asset-earning marathon follows.

Carmeni Selvam is a film that delivers its messages in compound interest. It reminds us that our wealth-related choices are often influenced by society. It makes us think about whether we truly need everything we pay EMIs for month on month. It sends home the message that sometimes wanting to make money in a short period of time may make us turn in the direction of immorality. In a scene where Selvam decides to exploit his owner’s car as a taxi, his son asks why he changed the number plate of his owner’s car from yellow to white. He says, “Vellaiya irundha sambadhika mudiadhu nu solranga pa,” both literally and metaphorically. In the end, the film makes us realise that the answer to Shanthi’s question about doing something for the next generation doesn’t necessarily mean only in terms of money.

However, while Carmeni Selvam may be rich in intent, it isn't always the case in returns. Yes, it does drive home the message that we end up sacrificing a lot for the sake of money, showing how men in foreign countries who have left their families in India choose to remain there for the sake of a sorted future. But in doing so, the film also glamourises poverty. Devi (Abhinaya), who is the wife of Selvam’s boss, says there’s more happiness in living near the sea in a small house than in foreign vacations. While that may be true for some of us who visit the sea once in a while, for a woman running a street food shop on the beach, the smell of the sea may even be repulsive.

Carmeni Selvam is poor on twists and is in debt for surprises. We know where the story will go from the first scene. With a template premise and a screenplay that is just adequate, the film’s strength lies in its performances. While Samuthirakani is riveting as usual, Lakshmipriyaa steals the show with her measured performance as Shanthi. She reminds us that no matter how much Selvam (money) we earn, we all need Shanthi (peace) in life (a clever wordplay by the filmmaker). While Abhinaya and Gautham Vasudev Menon do the needful, they’re underused in the film, for their roles are more of extended cameos. Special mention to child artist Karan Chakaravarthi, who is captivating as Balu, the son of Shanthi and Selvam.

In no way is Carmeni Selvam perfect. For some, it could come across as preachy. For some, it could be predictable. For some others, it could also be problematic for showing the life of poverty with glimmering hope. Nonetheless, it is a tale that makes us remember that too much wealth often whispers promises and screams consequences. While many gains in the narrative seem to come with invisible deficits, we leave the theatre wondering how life has a hold on where our money goes and if there was a way to hold on to our salaries for a little while longer. In the fleeting moment between credit and debit, we wonder if we earn to live or merely just live to keep earning.