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Arun (Sivan) and his group of friends are socially responsible. They clean up streets, defaced walls and publish a neighbourhood newspaper in which they write about social and civic issues. The neighbours are amused with Arun’s qualities, but his mother despises him as he hasn’t completed his graduation and spends his time in philanthropy.

Arun criticizes brain drain and claims that skilled youngsters who emigrate to USA are traitors, as they abandon their home country after enjoying its fruits. Arun’s mother rents out a room in their house to Shwetha (Sharmila), an engineer who has specialized in biotechnology, and who is waiting for her visa to USA. Learning that she is just another skilled youngster who is longing to leave to the US, Arun snubs her on any given occasion.

On Shwetha’s visa interview day, she misses the interview after fainting with fatigue waiting outside the US embassy. The dejected Shwetha joins a local pharmaceutical company as a researcher. As time goes by, she gets close with Arun, is influenced by his ideas and starts to realize that India is indeed a nice place to live in.

Arun, who has been writing some thought-provoking articles in his newspaper, is noticed by a news television channel head. He invites Arun to join his organisation as a investigative journalist. With the help of Shwetha, Arun unearths a large spurious drug manufacturing racket and reports about it. For his courageous reporting, Arun earns accolades and enemies.

Sollitharava is highly melodramatic with cliched scenes. The movie is an attack on brain drain and emigration to America. The movie is also inspired from some real life events like the fake drug scam in Chennai, the frisking of Abdul Kalam and the detaining of Shahrukh Khan in a US airport. As the movie is based on some recent events, it will not make head or tail in a few years. Fresh faces Sivan and Sharmila present satisfactory performances. The brain drain theme might appear socially relevant, but in reality, India is positive to the emigration of its skilled manpower, which brings in an abundance of foreign money. A character called Oxford, who tries his hand at comedy by talking in broken English throughout the movie, is a constant irritant. Songs with no impact and a camera that shakes in scenes, Sollitharava may die unlamented.