Premalu

Premalu
Poster
Directed by	Girish A. D.
Written by	Girish A. D. Kiran Josey
Produced by	Fahadh Faasil Dileesh Pothan Syam Pushkaran
Starring	Naslen K. Gafoor Mamitha Baiju
Cinematography	Ajmal Sabu
Edited by	Akash Joseph Varghese
Music by	Vishnu Vijay
Production company	Bhavana Studios
Distributed by	Bhavana Release
Release date	9 February 2024 (2024-02-09) (India)
Running time	156 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam
Budget	₹3 crore[1]
Box office	est.₹51.9 crore[2]

Premalu is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Girish A. D. The film stars Naslen K. Gafoor and Mamitha Baiju in the lead roles.^[3] It also features an ensemble cast including Sangeet Pratap, Shyam Mohan M, Meenakshi Raveendran, Akhila Bhargavan, Althaf Salim, Mathew Thomas. The musical score for the film is composed by Vishnu Vijay.

The film was theatrically released on 9 February 2024 and received critical acclaim for its storyline, music, comedy and cast performances.^[4] The film grossed over ₹51.9 crore (US$6.2 million) worldwide and emerged as the highest grossing Malayalam film of 2024, and eighth highest grossing Indian film of 2024.

Sachin, a struggling graduate decides to leave for Hyderabad for GATE coaching to land a decent job, and ends up falling in love with Reenu, a software employee placed in Hyderabad. How their different worlds meet, and how Reenu's toxic colleague Aadhi fits into the equation, forms the rest of the story.

• Naslen K. Gafoor as Sachin Santhosh
• Mamitha Baiju as Reenu Roy
• Sangeeth Prathap as Amal Davis
• Shyam Mohan M as Aadhi
• Akhila Bhargavan as Karthika
• Meenakshi Raveendran as Niharika a.k.a. "Wanderlust"
• Althaf Salim as Shobi Sir
• Shameer Khan as Subin
• Ranjith Narayan Kurup as Thomas Fried Chicken manager
• AR Rajaganesh as Colleague
• K.S. Prasad as Sachin's father
• Gopu Kesav as Reenu's father
• Mathew Thomas as Thomas (cameo appearance)

Premalu is produced by Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan, and Syam Pushkaran under their production company, Bhavana Studios. The film captures the essence of Hyderabad's vibrant culture and picturesque locales, providing a visually captivating backdrop to the romantic narrative.^[5]

The film's musical score and songs are composed by Vishnu Vijay. KG Markose rendered a song titled "Telangana Bommalu".^[6]

The film was theatrically released on 9 February 2024.^[7]

Nikhil Sebastian of Pinkvilla rated the film with 4/5 stars and wrote "Naslen truly shines as the heart and soul of Premalu. His portrayal of Sachin, a character deeply relatable to audiences, harks back to the boy-next-door roles popularized by actors like Dilieep in the 90s. Naslen's on-screen chemistry with both Sangeeth and Mamitha is palpable and contributes significantly to the film's charm."^[8] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express rated the film with 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Similar to Girish AD's Thanneer Mathan Dinangal and Super Sharanya, this Naslen, Mamitha Baiju-starrer too effectively employs situational and observational comedy. Yet, Girish ensures that Premalu stands apart from his previous works."^[9] Gayathri Krishna of OTT Play rated the film with 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Girish AD's Premalu is enhanced by the performances, wherein all of the main actors deliver nuanced performances that refrain from being excessively hysterical."^[10]

Reviewing the film, Aswin Devan of The New Indian Express wrote Premalu has a lot of things on its plate but it does not affect the narrative flow. The film lightly touches upon the peripheries of dysfunctional families and the apparent dichotomies of the lower and upper-middle classes living in the city. Premalu succeeded in shifting the Malayali audience's romanticisation of Banglore and Chennai to Hyderabad.^[11]

On Letterboxd, MS Krishna Prateek expressed his admiration for the film, stating that it’s been quite a while since he watched a movie that is as clean and light as this one. The film aims solely to entertain, without any unnecessary complexities. It evokes a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of the feel-good romantic comedies from the early to mid-2000s that once dominated Telugu and Tamil cinema. Moreover, the film cleverly weaves in progressive elements into its humor. For instance, the sudden stalking joke had the audience in splits, and the feminist angle from Aadhi was equally well-received.^[12]

• Premalu at IMDb