Recently in the conversations happening in social media groups and even in troll groups, one particular scripting trope was under scrutiny. It was about this “wait, I can explain” – “no, we don’t want to hear anything” scenario in movies that were released a few years back. What I found most irritating about Lal Jose’s new movie Solomante Theneechakal is the return of this idea. Conceived as a murder mystery with twists, Solomante Theneechakal has a dull thriller curve that looks predictable, specifically when it tries to be unpredictable.
The film primarily revolves around the lives of two police officers, Suja and Glyna. One is posted in traffic and the other works in the local police station. They both have a popular Instagram page where they post reels. Things take a different turn when their superior officer is found dead a few hours after letting Suja know his wish to marry her. How the case, investigated by CI Solomon, puts Suja in a difficult situation and how they both try to get out of this mess is what we see in Solomante Theneechakal.
The lack of conviction in certain portions of the movie drains out any hope for witnessing something refreshing. To show the camaraderie of Suja and Glyna, we have the whole reel song, and frankly, the dialogues in that portion would have made me cringe if someone else was performing. When CI Solomon interrogates Suja, her expressions and confusion will make you wonder how she got selected for Police. And the major Sreekumar-like transformation of Suja towards the climax offered the pleasure of unintentional comedy. Towards the last quarter, writer PG Prageesh tries this Memories model twist spree. But those things they subtly placed in the script here and there weren’t subtle enough to distract the viewer.
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Vincy Aloshious, who is already a proven actor, was really good as Glyna. Like I said, in those initial moments of friendship, her performance reduced the cringe. Darshana S Nair fumbles when it comes to portraying the vulnerability of her character. Her performance feels very loud in many places. Shambhu Menon as Sharath Balakrishnan gets a character with no major challenges. Addis Antony Akkara as CI Binu Alex looks menacing for sure. But there are areas where his dialogue delivery can’t really create the same impact. Joju George, in his typical underplaying style, looks sharp as CI Solomon and gets into the character’s skin very smoothly.
When the writing is flat, there is pretty much nothing a filmmaker can do to revive it. PG Prageesh cant find a unique trajectory to present his story that looks like a falooda of familiar ingredients. In almost every scene, one can anticipate how a character will react and what lines will be spoken. We are supposed to empathize with some of the characters in the movie for getting trapped in a messy situation, but if given an opportunity, I would have screamed at most of the characters for lacking common sense. The twists in the tale and all those backstories just look like they took old spare parts from a vintage piece.
Solomante Theneechakal is a tepid thriller that fails to create a sense of excitement in the viewers. From character equations and central conflicts to final solutions, everything in this script looks very usual. It’s one of those movies where a creator makes characters do stupid things just to take the story further.
It's one of those movies where a creator makes characters do stupid things just to take the story further.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
