Allu Aravind, Geetha Arts and Dheeraj Mogilineni Entertainment’s The Girlfriend (dubbed from the Telugu film of the same name; UA) is the story of a girlfriend who breaks free from her partner because of his over-possessive and controlling nature.
Bhooma Devi (Rashmika Mandana) is a post-graduate student of English literature. She falls in love with Vikram (Dheekshit Shetty) but they soon part ways because he is over-possessive and literally wants to control her. Since her own father is also very aggressive, Bhooma Devi has no one to turn to. How Bhooma endures and ultimately overcomes the pressures imposed by the men around her forms the crux of the drama.
Rahul Ravindran’s story is fair but his screenplay is very slow-moving. The drama, therefore, tests the viewers’ patience. Even otherwise, boredom creeps in at a number of places. That is not to say that there are no plus points. A theatre scene between Bhooma Devi and Durga (Anu Emmanuel) is striking. A few scenes soon after interval hold the audience’s attention, but the pace and the drama slacken thereafter. The verbosity of the drama also gets on the audience’s nerves. Rashmi’s dialogues are okay.
Rashmika Mandana gives a good account of herself as Bhooma Devi. She stands out in emotional scenes. Dheekshit Shetty is effective as Vikram. Anu Emmanuel does well as Durga. Rao Ramesh makes his mark as Bhooma Devi’s father. Rohini Molleti makes a fine impression in a brief role. Others are passable.
Rahul Ravindran’s direction, like the drama, targets a thin section of the class audience among womenfolk. The general masses will not appreciate his narrative style. Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music is so-so. Lyrics are okay. Prashanth R. Vihari’s background music is impactful. Krishnan Vasant’s camerawork is very good. Production designing (by S. Rama Krishna and Monika Niggotre) is fair. Chota K. Prasad’s editing leaves something to be desired. Dubbing is alright.
On the whole, The Girlfriend will not appeal to the public.
Released on 7-11-’25 at Sterling (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru PEN Marudhar Cine Entertainment. Publicity & opening: poor. …….Also released all over. Opening was weak everywhere.