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Lot of noice but not much substance in the first and last one ,but it's worth watching for the third one , Shiva is one of the best short films in malayalam in the last ten years , no doubt. Pretty sad not much people talk about it . The layers the movie delivers in such a short time and the themes , just WOW. Definitely worth watching multiple times.

Solo is a film which was highly expected for a variety of reasons. The young heartthrob DQ as well as the highly acclaimed director Bejoy Nambiar can make any cinema lover go crazy. But such a anthology made within the confines of Nambiar's imagination could not succeed as it thought it would. First of all, SOLO is a anthology, not a series of short films cramped into a film ; Although one could argue whether the film has a specific connection to each story or not.

The film is based on the four forms of Lord Shiva, specifically Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. Dulquer plays four different characters that correspond with the theme presented with it (ie. Fire - Rage). Shiva, Shekhar, Trilok and Rudra respectively. Although it dwells into the forms of Shiva, it does not have any sort of connection to the original content other than the feature that it is merely pointing out the theme that is going to play out in the movie.

The movie begins with the segment of Water ie. Shekhar. Although i could not thoroughly enjoy Shekhar's character, i loved the way the segment ended with a very depressing note that differentiates other films from this. Shekar's character was thoroughly experimented on, which i could not say for other characters. I believe that we spent more time with Shekhar than the other three, helping us to cope with the character's behavior very much. With a depressing and a rather unexpected ending Shekhar's performance was satisfying till the end.

Trilok might be the character that blew away the all three. Trilok was open, calm , mysterious and of course ,badass. Trilok is associated with Wind and of course Trilok swept us away. Trilok was a moody and the love interest of Trilok did not receive much screen time and we were left to wonder whether this would turn into another tale of karma. But no. Director Bejoy takes us to a short moody revenge thriller that encapsulates us into the character ; loving him, yet knowing nothing about him. Trilok was the dark horse of SOLO.

Of the four segments, i could say Shiva's was the best. Not only for visual reasons but for the fact that Shiva evoked a sense of mystery and rage around the character that DQ has never presented before. Shiva does not have single dialogue except one which i think the director was specifically panning out to that moment. Shiva is associated with Fire and I expected a lot of fire works in this and i wasn't wrong. Visually and aesthetically impressive segment was brought alive with some magnificent performances too and i could single-handedly say that SOLO might be Dulquer Salman's best performance till date. The segment ended with wild ride that puts revenge and emotional connections forward.

The last segment was Earth and revolved around the character Rudra, a military officer. Rudra was the least welcomed character of the lot. It didn't have any major development and it just hovered around waiting to pop the cap. And when it did, it ended in disappointment. I was all in to witness Rudra but it left me wondering whether the Director specifically wanted it to be humorous or it was creepily misunderstood. Incest is not a common theme for the malayali audience and just be prepared for a unbelievably believable climax. Although i'm all in praise for the final short which summed up everything, Rudra was a character that need a lot of push and screen time to entice us.

SOLO is also a film which would thrill cinema lovers and regular film analysts but it would not pan out to the wider demographic as it could not bring a sensation of life into the whole picture, thus would fail to satisfy normal viewers.

Overall, SOLO is a film that is strictly a one-time watch and which copulates us with their own world with their own rules. Experimentation is high in this one and go with mild expectations and you will be more than satisfied.

Shekhar - 7.4 Trilok - 7.8 Shiva - 8.5 Rudra - 7.0

Overall - 7.5 / 10

Superb movie with deep meanings. The way the film is directed is very unique. Film has been divided into four parts we all saw in the trailers and all part contains a good entertainment. Dulquer Salman has done a great job. A Great film to get by an actor because he can prove his talent in different ways. The music is awesome.All the actress in the film did a great job. Especially Dhansika. The film is very deep and with great meaning in all scenes.

A good quiet deep movie for those who love films.

The Film Tells us 4 different stories:-Shekhar,Trilok,Shiva,Rudra 4 stories show 4 women in Our Life. Shekhar:-Lover/Daughter Trilok:-Wife Shiva:-Mother Rudra:-Sister

These Characters are based on 4 Bhoothas of Shiva;-Water,Wind,Fire and Land.Dulquer Salmaan done the Roles Nicely.You Should Watch SOLO if you're Tired of One-Man Show/Mass/Masala Movies.

If you think that you need a change from the typical Indian masala movies. Yes, for how many days will you be supporting the unethical works and leave this kind of works unnoticed. I bet you, Tamil Nadu hasn't seen anything like this before. Whereas in Malayalam industry it is obvious to experiment. In Tamil, it is very rarely we see such kinds of stuff. Even if it is done, it might go unnoticed as people tend to leave it just like that. Solo is something that has a lot to teach you and to learn from it too. Leave the technical side, I'm talking about all the four plots. Poetic! Watch it like you watching an Oscar movie. With patience! You'll love it.

The Anthology movies never have created a big impact in the box office but is very different from the conventional spoon feeding movies seen. Solo is one such movie comprising of four short films threaded together to make a single movie. The name also suites the movie very efficiently as it expresses the main heroes of the movie being one person and the various names taken by the main heroes are all synonyms of the Hindu Deity Lord Shiva. The film also aims at connecting the "Panchabhoothas"-the five elements (although one element-the sky is eliminated) to the central Characters of the film. I would recommend watching this movie as it stands distinct from the usual "colour films" which we see at movie theaters. This film makes us think beyond what we see and makes us use our imagination to make connections between everything happening in the movie. Not to mention the actors who have performed were a hundred percent devoted to the characters which they were given, which makes this movie stand out from the rest.

If I could describe Bejoy Nambiar's debut Malayalam feature Solo in a single word I'd use "pretentious". There's so much to criticize that one could even lose track of the convoluted themes the film tries to put emphasis on. Dulquer Salmaan plays four different characters in this mythologically-pumped anthology film that aspires to explore human relationships. There's this specially-abled guy who falls in love with a blind woman, a married man unable to grieve the death of an important person, a troubled hit-man with parental issues, and a soldier looking for answers from his girlfriend. On paper, Solo looks like a craftsman's dream script, and thanks to the beautiful shots, exotic scenery, and unnecessary yet creative title designs, it makes a mark on you. But the problem is that the staleness of these four stories and the way they are narrated overpowers the good bits and annoys the audience. The part-talented, part-amateur cast fail to salvage a film if it relies on tomfoolery in the name of creativity, and Solo makes that mistake quite a few times. Certain sequences get under your skin and make you wonder "what exactly is happening here?!" and "why did Dulquer do this?!" but you are not going to get these answers. So it becomes more bothersome. Solo is definitely a well-crafted film that reeks of art and creativity. Maybe the messages were lost in the editing room, but if that's the case this shouldn't have been a film in the first place. Hardly worth giving a try. TN.

I wonder why people didn't accept this movie. One of the most underrated movie in the malayalam film industry. Everything is stunning. 10/10 for direction, acting, cinematography, music & visuals. Mind blowing performance by Dulquar Salman. We need more movies like this in the future. Huge round of applause to Bijoy Nambiar for his brilliance.

Four love stories inclined with four elements of Lord Shiva namely Water, Air, Fire, Earth. The concept and stories of the film were simple but the thing which made the film special was the relation with these four mythological elements. The way Bijoy Nambear placed the elements in the respective love stories is highly appreciable and what makes it more unique is the names of the character are actually Avataars of Lord Shiva namely Shekhar, Trilok, Shiva and Rudra respectively. Moreover, Dulqueer Salman was at his best in the whole movie especially the gray shade he played in the 2nd story. I personally loved this film so would highly recommend it. Do give it a watch.

Bejoy Nambiar isn't a director that tries to cater to the masses as such, but he still makes films in a commercial niche without compromising a lot on what he wants to convey - 'Shaitan' (his best work), 'David' (the Hindi version was pretty fine, the Tamil one so- so) and 'Wazir' (a somewhat predictable thriller) are perfect examples. 'Solo' is an experimental anthology that showcases four different elements in the Shaivite mythology: Water, Wind, Fire & Earth. The names of the protagonists (Shekhar, Trilok, Shiva and Rudra - all played by DQ) in the four segments are alternative monikers given to the Lord.

Before we go into the storyline details, let's be very clear on a few things: Nambiar is a master handler of ensembles and highly skilled in terms of craft. Given reasonably good screenplays, he could end up a paragon in creating the most out-of-the-box films that India will ever see. 'Solo', a writing effort from Bejoy, Dhanya Suresh (for Malayalam) and Karthik Iyer (for Tamil) is a spectacular letdown. The technical team though, have done a marvelous job. The music (for most part) is fantastic and one gets a feeling that all of it should've been utilized in a much better movie. Cinematography (by Girish Gangadharan, Madhu Neelakantan and Sejal Shah) is also worthy of mention - if at all the romance, violence and humor unleashed in 'Solo' manage to strike even a negligible chord with the viewer, these three deserve the credit for it. Editor Sreekar Prasad chops and merges scenes mostly in a coherent manner. Even with all of said things working in favor of 'Solo', the story-telling is poor.

World of Shekhar (Water): The stuttering Shekhar - blind Radhika (Dhansika) segment easily isn't the best of starts and although the pair might look good as a 'wallpaper couple', the screenplay doesn't flesh their characters out well (syrupy dialogues are plentiful - I won't ever leave you, my love!). The dubbing for Dhansika also plays a major role in making this part less effective. Soubin's counter dialogues make you giggle for a little while, before the story dives into tragic mode. A couple of good songs (one sung by Vijay Yesudas and composed by Abhinav Bhansal, and another sung by Harish Sivaramakrishnan and composed by Bangalore-based Carnatic rock band Agam) are the only positives. DQ's stutter act doesn't startle.

World of Trilok (Wind): Probably the best piece of the lot in terms of having a proper commencement and closure (although with a few gaping holes in the script). DQ's act is restrained here (even after the disclosure of the twist), the shots are exquisite and the narrative even carries the feel of a feature film. Arthi Venkatesh, as Trilok's wife Ayesha has a minuscule role that isn't exactly worth dissecting. She however looks dashing, and the shots of breeze rushing against her gorgeous thighs when she cycles down a slope was a brilliant way of putting the theme across. This segment invokes memories of DQ's 2012 thriller 'Theevram'.

World of Shiva (Fire): DQ plays a local thug with a not-so-memorable childhood, and he barely speaks. Circumstances lead him to Mumbai, and plants him face to face with a gangster Vishnu (played by Prakash Belawadi) and an eardrum-exploding shootout (replete with Govind Menon's 'Aigiri Nandini' playing in the background) ensues, with devastating results. This segment could've worked as an entire movie altogether (given proper layering), but the proceedings here are too compressed for the viewer to assimilate the emotional intensity that the characters keep going through. There are some wonderfully grounded acts from Govind Menon, Sai Tamhankar and Rohan Manoj (who play's Shiva's brother). Sruthi Hariharan who plays Rukku, is asked to ham it up with soapy monologues.

World of Rudra (Earth): This segment turns out to be the craziest, although it starts off in a style that vies to please the actor's fan-base. He is the coolest of the cool (filmi) boyfriend, who walks up to his girlfriend's arranged-fiancés and shuts them down with a thumb-punch. Neha Sharma as Akshara, has the meatiest female role in the entire movie. She looks dazzling in modern costumes and performs neatly, but again much to her misfortune, the scenario of 'girlfriend ditching boyfriend without proper elucidation' is one we've seen DQ tackle in another film that came out very recently. After a funny brawl between Rudra and Akshara's fiancé (that almost plays along the centuries-old custom of 'best fighter wins the girl'), brace yourselves for that hilariously unsettling climax twist (total 'what the hell!' moment). The loudest laughs arrive when Rudra and his dad (played by Nasser) sit down over a drink and interrogate each other over the fiasco that has transpired thus far (I wonder to this moment whether all this was supposed to look funny or not, because the theme addressed here is a sensitive one). Either ways, this is definitely the most tasteless piece of the pie.

Verdict: None of the stories are memorable, save for a few jiffs of technical brilliance!

Dulquer Salmaan once again Proved By this movie that he is a good performer. In this film, DQ played Four Characters called Shekar, Siva, Trilok and Rudra in all four characters he given his best. especially, in Trilok and Siva roles he completely nailed it. Another important Segment of the film is the chemistry between DQ and Dhansika is wonderful. Bejoy Nambiar made an awesome debut with Solo. Overall, this is good film to watch out for this weekend

Positives- 1.)DQ's acting 2.) cinematography and scenes 3.)Story,Screenplay and direction 4.)Rudra climax part was hilarious Negatives- 1.)Concept of air,water,earth,fire doesn't have connect to story 2.)Lack of clarity in certain scenes 3.)Under utilization of actress except for neha sharma

4.) Trilok story could have been better Final verdict- Go for it if you like variety anthology films!! My rating- 4/5 For more reviews go to ridin bal movie reviews and subscribe to get updated about our reviews

The film Solo is a cinematic work comprising four short films: Water, Wind, Fire and Earth, all of which were directed by Bijoy Nambiar.

The first segment, entitled 'Water', chronicles the poignant love story of Shekhar, a man afflicted with a stammer, and Radhika, a woman living with blindness. Despite the physical challenges they face, the couple forms a deep bond, much to the disapproval of their families. However, the couple's joy is short-lived when Radhika discovers that she is pregnant. A preliminary ultrasound reveals that the unborn child is likely to inherit the same genetic disorder that afflicted Radhika. Nevertheless, the couple refuses to abandon their hopes. Their wedding ceremony is solemnised with great ceremony, and subsequently, Radhika gives birth to a baby girl. However, the female protagonist dies, and Shekhar goes alone with the child.

The narrative quality of the film was found to be of average quality, and the direction was also satisfactory. The performances were found to be the most commendable aspect of the film, and the musical score was notable. The film was given a rating of 6/10.

The second segment, entitled 'Wind'. The film's plot is a revenge story of a young doctor, Trilok Menon, who seeks retribution against the individuals responsible for his wife's death. Trilok marries a beautiful girl, Aisha, and they enjoy a honeymoon in a hill station. A car hits Aisha, and a young businessman, Justin, and his father-in-law are among the car passengers. Despite her survival, they ignore her and do not take her to the hospital, where she dies. Driven by a quest for justice, Trilok embarked on a mission to exact retribution upon the individuals responsible for his wife's demise. Through meticulous investigation, he managed to identify the car passengers. After a protracted period of three years, he successfully eliminated the passengers, thus fulfilling his mission.

The narrative and direction were conventional, yet both exhibited inconsistencies. The performances were commendable, and the film received a rating of 6/10.

The third segment, entitled 'Fire'. The character of Shiva is introduced as a local goon. Shiva's mother, avoided him and his younger brother during their childhood. The brother, like Shiva, aspired to follow in his footsteps and become a goon. Shiva's personal life is also explored, revealing that he was married and had a daughter. However, he did not provide a nurturing environment for them. The narrative then shifts to the murder of Shiva's father, a event that drives Shiva to seek retribution. He travels to Bombay, seeking to avenge his father's death. During this journey, he is accompanied by his brother. Shiva, through a process of investigation, learns the identity of the perpetrator and subsequently takes action. However, the perpetrator turned out to be his mother's new husband, resulting in Shiva's demise at the hands of the latter. The narrative culminates in the subsequent day, when Shiva's brother avenges his death by killing the perpetrator.

The narrative was found to be satisfactory, with effective direction and commendable performances, particularly given the minimal dialogue of the protagonist. The innovative aspect of the narrative was noteworthy. The film received a rating of 7/10.

The film's setting in Earth, where Rudra, a soldier, harbours a love for Akshara, the daughter of a high-ranking army officer. Their families are opposed to their relationship, and when Akshara receives a marriage proposal, Rudra attempts to dissuade her. Akshara departs abruptly and without explanation, travelling to Australia, a decision that Rudra follows and tries to contact her repeatedly. However, she disregards him. Four years later, on the occasion of Akshara's wedding, Rudra and his companions attend the ceremony with the intention of confronting her about her repeated failure to respond to his advances. This leads to a confrontation with her new groom, during which Rudra comes to the realisation that his father's previous relationship with Akshara's mother might have led to her perceiving them as family.

The narrative was engaging, and the direction was excellent, with cinematography and musical scores that were also noteworthy. The performances were also excellent, and the film is valuable for repeated watching, earning a rating of 8/10.

The performances are best appreciated in the context of the entire filmography, with Dulqar Salman delivering a superlative performance in each iteration. The musical scores are also noteworthy, contributing significantly to the overall impact of the films. In conclusion, this cinematic work is deemed suitable for a one time watching.

Anthology is one of the toughest of genres for a director. Bejoy Nambiar has taken one such effort and made a near perfect movie. Solo tells us four different stories of four different characters. There are few things that connect the story like lost love, elements of nature and Lord Shiva.

The best aspect about Solo is its stunning visuals. Each story differ from one another in terms of theme set. The first follows water, the second air, third fire and the final one earth. Each element is portrayed exceptionally through the characters and the visuals.

The exceptional visuals are equally complimented by the music. It is easily the best that south India has produced this year. At times music dominates the visuals. Be it the song during the wedding, Roshomon used in the army camp or the Aygiri Nandini song each stands alone in its own way.

Apart from Visuals and Music, Dulquer is the cherry on the cake. It is one of Dulquer's best movies. He has done an exceptional job. He lived as the characters in each story, especially in the second half. Though the female leads don't have much screen space they have done their part well. Sai Dhansika and Sruthy Hariharan stands in our hearts by their performances.

Speaking about the stories, the first two didn't have much impact comparing the last two. It's really surprising that Bejoy has shown two different works, one before the interval and the one after the interval. The one that brings Dulquer as the Gangster is the best among the four.

The melodrama works better at few instance, especially the second half. But, it seems a little over done towards the end. The last few minutes seem like a TV serial, few characters goes out of focus. May be the one shot experiment played its part.

Apart from few glitches and lagging last few minutes Solo is a must watch for its Visuals, Music and Dulquer. Remember that it narrates four different stories, it's better to watch it without expectations.

Although technically it's a Malayalam movie, to watch such a movie like Solo as if it's an original Tamil movie is heartwarming. Superb movie, splendid acting and dazzling movie.

I guarantee you that you will be immersed for the entire 150 minutes of the running time, right from the moment the credits start. A must watch!

It was not until the movie came in Netflix that I saw the movie and glad I did. The movie is a combination of 4 different short movies with each one not connected to another. Each movie has a different story line and different characters. The shining star of the series is Dulquer Salman and the failing star is all the lead actresses.

The first short movie, based on Water is about a blind woman falling in love with a guy who has stuttering issue. Dulquer's hair is beautiful, had to say about it. The story revolves around how the couple fall in love and what happens later. I loved the way it is shot and the confusion it creates in the mind of one watching. Since there is back and forth movement in the story line, it is easy to get lost, trying to think if the event is in present or in the past.

Dulquer as a college boy, an unemployed youth dons the role very well. It's easy to get connected to him and his emotions. Dhansika, is probably better than all other lead actresses and hence, one may feel she has done a good job. In reality, if observed alone, Dhansika does a poor job of enacting a blind girl. It's tough to look at her and say, 'Hey, she is blind'. There is a moment of her doing a stunt with sticks and it looked really cool. Apart from that, she was pretty bland throughout the movie.

Wind is my favorite. I can't dwell into the story line for the fear of accidentally revealing the plot. It's filled with twists and turns and even could have been a full blown movie. Dulquer plays his role with ease and perfection. The role he portrays is consistent across the short story. It's a must watch. The lead actress falls well short of expectations. It's not that she does a bad role, it's that she doesn't do much either. A pretty doll, like the rest of them.

The 3rd part, I forgot which element it was, is where Dulquer plays the role of a don. In the entire short story, he doesn't have a dialogue and yet we get a convincing performance of a don. The lead singer from Thaikuddam Bridge plays the role of Dulquer's compatriot and he looks the part. It's unfortunate that Manoj K Jayan didn't have much to do in the movie apart from looking as the care taker of Dulquer. He does any role handed over to him with ease and thank the God's for having him in Malayalam movie industry. The actress, who plays the Lover/Girlfriend/Mistress, fails to connect with the audience as a distraught women. There is no background story as to why she is so pissed with Dulquer's character.

The 4th part, which has a stellar cast, is the one that let me down. It depends on how you take the story. I found it unclear on why the leading lady decided to stay out of touch with her boyfriend for so long time (While there is a background to it, I found it unconvincing). There is also the twist which I found it difficult to absorb. It's not that the twist was surprise for me, to come at a moment as in the movie, I have my doubts. With Suhasini Manirathnam, Nasar at the lead, the story could have involved the acting prowess of these actors a lot more. May be it was shortage of time that forced the director to show little of these actors. The actress was pretty lame. Apart from looking like a doll, the actress had nothing to show for as a skill. The boxing fight was bad. If the guy, as said in the movie, is a national boxing champion, then let me tell you, he knows nothing of boxing. The basic hand holding posture is wrong and so are the movements. I can understand they didn't want to spend time and money choreographing a sequence that lasts only few seconds, yet, it was a letdown.

Overall the entire series is an experiment that's worth watching. You may or may not love the entire story line but you will definitely leave the theatre/Netflix thinking about part of the stories and how different it could have happened.

This is the movie of my favorite malaylam actor DULQUER SALMAN.

Four different people facing four different types of difficulties and challenges in their life. All of them were related with four elements like Water, Wind, Fire & Earth.

What was their stories? What kind of difficulties and challenges they faced? How they survive or take challenges?

My personal Rating 9.00 out of 10.00.

#Solo #MalaylamMovie #India #Romantic #Thriller #Drama #Classic #Iamnrdurjoy #ReviewByNRD

Solo (2017): Anthologies are rare in Indian Cinema and even if we consider world cinema,most of the anthologies are either revenge or horror.Solo is one of a kind anthology like never before in Indian Cinema.Directed by Bejoy Nambiar, who made his debut with Shaitan. Followed by David and Wazir that were meant for a certain kind of audience. But Bejoy Nambiar has always tried to transcend the boundaries with his writing.So,I had huge expectations on Solo.SO how is it?

Plot: Solo consists of four different segments that do not have any connection to one another. Through four elements - water, air, fire and earth, they also represent different facets of Lord Siva.

Segment 1: It is the story of Shekar (Dulquer),a stammer and his love story with Radhika,a blind dancer.It showcases their hurdles in society.This segment is labeled as related to water but we do not see any relevance except that,Radhika wishes to go to beach with her husband and to be born daughter.

This story is clichéd and Dhansika's cute performance is the major pro of this segment.Music is good and Dulquer's performance is neat but he is overshadowed by Dhansika.

Segment 2: It is the story of Trilok (Dulquer),a veterinary doctor who saves a person who got injured in an accident but there lies a twist which links to Trilok's wife's death which happened 4 years ago.

This segment is decent thriller with predictable twist which was showcased in a good way.Dulquer's performance is very good in this segment.Shortest segment of the film.

Segment 3: It is the story of Shiva (Dulquer),who is a gangster and takes care of his brother Sidhdhu.Unfortunately Shiva's father gets murdered and Shiva goes to Mumbai to avenge his father's death.

This segment is the most stylish one of all the segments.Even if the segment is clichéd,the stylish taking and Dulquer's amazing performance with striking background score makes this the best of 4.

Segment 4: No Words....The weirdest and the dumbest segment in the film.

So,Solo is a rare attempt of anthology genre in Indian Cinema which was only partly successful with inconsistency in segments and irrelevant labels.

My rating 6.25/10

It's a perfect movie, but people of kerala don't accept good movies,they need stupid love, romance,etc

How i decided my rating:

Dulquer Salmaan - 0.8 Leading ladies(Dhansika,Sruthi Hariharan, Deepti Sati, Neha Sharma) - 0.9 Other cast(Naser, Sai Tamhankar, Anson paul) - 0.6 Story and screenplay - 0.8 Music - 0.6 Comedy - 0.4 Family, drama and romance - 0.7 Action - 0.6 Ending - 0.6 Total - 6

This is an anthology based on the 4 elements water, air, fire and earth with the lead character depicting different aspects of one the principle deities of Hinduism, Shiva.

A beautifully crafted piece of art but the inspiration behind the story is limited only to those who know Shaivism(Workship of Lord Shiva). To know more without giving away any spoilers i would suggest after you watch this movie, read up on a few articles related to the movie.

Dulquer Salmaan gives an amazing performance in all 4 roles. The fire and air stories were my favorite while the water and earth were good but less impactful and seemed a little awkward compared to the other 2.