The film stars Naslen K Gafoor and Mamitha Baiju. Despite the undercurrent of dysfunction, we keep laughing at (and with) these oddball characters.
For four years, in his college in TamilNadu, Sachin has been in love with a student named Anjali. To be precise, the love is only from his side. She is vaguely aware of him, but because he has said nothing to her, she has had no reason to say either “yes” or “no”. It’s close to graduation time, and Sachin decides it is time to tell Anjali that he loves her. If not now, then when! He meets her, and pours his heart out. While we wait for the scene to play out, we get out-of-the-blue tangents. A bunch of students race past Sachin and Anjali, excited that they have the key to the secret chamber, something like the one we saw in Hridayam. Sachin confesses that a call he made to Anjali was actually a call supposed to have been made to Anjaneyan from Mechanical. The scene ends with vomit.
You can read the rest of the review here:
https://www.galatta.com/malayalam/movie/review/premalu-author-br/
You can watch the trailer / video review here:
Copyright ©2024 GALATTA.
Baradwaj Rangan 
BR fan
March 10, 2024
Please interview Girish AD. He is one of the most unique, original, confident and assured directorial voices in Indian cinema right now.
LikeLike
BR fan
March 10, 2024
Girish AD under the guise of entertainers represents the lives and aspirations of lower middle class who are often not properly depicted in our cinema.
Manjummel Boys by Chidambar is also about class and how some extraordinary feats can only be achieved if you are ordinary.
These r not my own observations but what have been implied by the directors themselves
LikeLike
MANK
March 10, 2024
At 156 minutes, it’s a bit too long for the kind of film its is: breezy, not very deep, feel good vibes with few characters and without any big issues or big solutions. I think that entire section involving Reenu’s parents and their Hyderabad outing could have been trimmed. Otherwise it was truly a joyous ride and one of the most entertaining films I have seen in recent times. It’s a throwback to the kind of fun movies that Nivin Pauly used to make during his golden period: Neram, Om Shanti Oshana, Thattathin Marayathu, Bangalore Days, Premam (The film’s title as well as the film’s final scene flashbacking to the moment of the throwing of the beer bottle seems to be a nod to “Premam”) etc- until he became too big (literally) for those kinds of roles. Naslin is a very good substitute for a young Nivin in his trademark role of the not-so-bright, not-very-confident, aimless middle class Malayali youth who, with the help of devoted friends, woos and ultimately wins over a girl who’s way above his pay grade. Mamitha has the same feistiness and maturity as Nazriya or Sai Pallavi , while Sangeeth plays the role of the friendsidekick that’s is usually played by Aju Varghese. Then there is Althaf (who was Mary’s companion in Premam and who directed Njandukalude nattil oru Idavela) playing the teacher. Shyam Mohan’s Aadhi, with his rather deliberate and artificial body language, dialogue delivery and masculine posing, and especially that funny goatee, seems to be an intentional parody of star, Prithviraj. Though unlike “Premam,” the film doesn’t do anything path breaking from a filmmaking POV, the writing (that puts a twist to everything that’s ordinary), the fresh cast and the very naturalistic performances are the highlight of the movie.
And yes, like you I would watch a film entirely about Sachin and Amal, those two have really good chemistry. I am also pleased by the BO success of the film. It has grossed more than 100 cr ww and is already in the top 10 Malayalam films of all time. It’s incredible that a film filled with newbies has managed to upstage even a well received superstar (Mammootty) film like Bramayugam at the BO.
LikeLike
MANK
March 10, 2024
Btw, that Radha Krishna song is from the 1996 bilingual film, Devaragam, starring Sridevi and Aravind Swamy, directed by Bharathan. There was a tamil version of that as well, so I thought you may know about it. This was Sridevi’s last Malayalam film. And that song “Yayayya ya Yadava” was composed by the great Telugu Oscar winning composer Keeravani. I guess that’s the reason why that song was chosen. Malayali kids residing in Hyderabad performing a Malayalam song composed by a Telugu musician at a Telugu wedding .
LikeLiked by 1 person
BR fan
March 10, 2024
And the telugu dubbing rights have been bought by Keeravani’s nephew – Rajamouli’s son.
LikeLike
brangan
March 11, 2024
MANK: not very deep
I don’t think they set out make a deep film, so the non-deep-ness is part of the package, IMO.
Gireesh AD’s writing is so, so amazing. I wonder what he would do with other genres…
Also, I am not surprised at the upstaging BRAMAYUGAM bit. That film is good, but its deliberate pacing, black-and-white etc. – that’s not everyone’s cup of chaya.
LikeLike
brangan
March 11, 2024
Regarding DEVARAGAM, I missed a whole bunch of films from that time period because I was not in India.
LikeLike
MANK
March 11, 2024
And the telugu dubbing rights have been bought by Keeravani’s nephew – Rajamouli’s son.
Yes I heard. that’s called Coming full circle I guess 🙂
Agreed Brangan about the ‘deepness’; and going by his track record I think that Girish will not be adept at making very deep movies or tackling more serious genres. This breezy, on-the-surface, spontaneous style is a must for him to create his movies. Maybe he can make an action comedy- like Khalid Rahman did with Thallumaala. I’m interested in seeing what he does next, because Premalu seems to be the full realization of his style and I don’t think he is going to do better than this in this template. So will he try something else next? or will he try the same thing with equally good or less than good results; I don’t see him bettering this.
And that funny goon whom Aadhi employs in the climax is writer Syam Pushkaran, who along with Fahadh Fazil and Dileesh Pothan, produced this film.
LikeLike
Rahul
March 18, 2024
The dialogue in this film is remarkably natural and humorous, so much so that it’s hard to believe some of it wasn’t improvised. For instance, when Reenu mentions making omelettes and Amal jokingly requests his to be scrambled, her swift retort of “Hey, this is not a hotel” adds a delightful touch of authenticity. While these moments may not induce uproarious laughter, they contribute to a refreshing comedic vibe, eschewing loud jokes and punchlines that often fall flat.
What’s particularly impressive about this film is its subtle yet effective modernization of the rom-com genre to align with Gen Z sensibilities. It accomplishes this without resorting to heavy-handed preaching, instead maintaining a playful tone throughout. For instance, when Amal and Sachin are playfully cautioned against appearing stalker-like by moving into a house near the girls, the film cleverly turns it into a lighthearted joke. Additionally, the inclusion of pepper spray subtly acknowledges the realities of women’s experiences and challenges without overshadowing the main narrative.
Moreover, the evolution of the relationship between Sachin and Reenu is a standout aspect of the film. Sachin’s willingness to relinquish control of the driving duties to Reenu demonstrates a refreshing sense of equality. Reenu’s remark about feeling like she’s hanging out with her school buddies when with Amal and Sachin adds depth to their bond. Furthermore, Sachin’s mature acceptance of Reenu’s rejection and his ability to move forward without drama speak volumes about his character. When Reenu juxtaposes her idealized image of a future husband, in which Sachin doesn’t quite fit, with the realization that she can truly be herself with him, her choice becomes evident, underscoring the film’s nuanced exploration of relationships.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rahul
March 18, 2024
Amal Davis’s name is mentioned so many times that sometimes it seems that the story of Sachin and Reenu is just a footnote in the hagiography of Amal Davis, though it does not need to be told since he is a legend, so everyone knows it anyway. But yeah, I would not mind a stoner comedy on the lines of Harold and Kumar, like Amal and Sachin go to Bawarchi Biryani.
LikeLike
MANK
March 18, 2024
Amal Davis the most idealized and near-perfect character in the film. The hero is an aimless dolt who acts on his whims. The heroine is more intelligent and mature but still quite confused and delusional and has difficulty in reconciling between her ideals of her dream man and the one she falls in love with, the villain is a pretentious coward. The hero’s parents and heroine’s parents are the worst. AD, on the other hand, is the most confident, assured character in the film who knows what he wants and single mindedly works towards that goal . H eis very loyal to his friend, Sachin, but he never misses a chance to call him out on his stupidity and most of his words to him are very sarcastic putdowns. Even Reenu’s friend, despite being engaged, can’t resist the charms of our super confident AD and mistakes his enthusiasm to connect Sachin with Reenu as his attempts to connect with her. No wonder, Girish created him out of his initials. He is the director’s on screen surrogate . And of course Sangeeth’s performance is a hoot
LikeLike
MANK
March 18, 2024
LikeLike
Rahul
March 18, 2024
MANK, it appears Amal Davis has a natural flair for comedy. Additionally, it’s good to see the film being recognized by stalwarts of Telugu cinema, especially given the film’s setting in Hyderabad. It seems to mean a lot to the team, considering Telugu cinema’s role in keeping the romantic comedy genre alive over the last couple of decades.
LikeLike
tamil thanos
March 19, 2024
What a joy this film was? I was oscillating between smiling, giggling and laughing out loud through out the film. My only qualm with the film is I wish we had more scenes with dialogues between the 4 friends. The heroine says she likes Sachin and AD because it feels like she is back to school but a lot of the camaraderie/bonding takes place in that road trip song. Lord, please shower more of these rooted rom-coms on us.
LikeLike
hari prasad
March 21, 2024
I really loved watching Premalu so much so I watched it twice at a theatre.
The biggest plus for me is that the movie tries to be sensible by rightfully questioning Sachin’s cluelessness about his life and him falling for Reenu at first sight but it doesn’t forgets to have fun which a lot of our movies won’t do.
Special thanks for making that Anjaneya girl , a passing cloud in Sachin’s life which showed that
i. We sometimes confuse “love” with infatuation ,
ii. Love doesn’t necessarily leads to marriage and
iii. not all love deserve Oru Thalai Raagam Shankar fake beard levels of self piting and pining.
I also liked the irony that yes , like every other romance movie hero , Sachin falls for Reenu at first sight , but he gets a lot of opportunities to get close to her and know stuff about her a lot.
Is that JK guy an unintentional parody of the alpha male species?
Him deciding what Reenu should do , him tryna shoo the “lowly” Sachin , him “caring” for her , acting nice towards her parents all gave me the impression and yes count me in for that Amal Davis spin-off.
He is easily the best best friend character I’ve seen in a really long time and I loved that he’s not there just to give silly kalaais.
LikeLike
tonks
April 14, 2024
Just caught this on Hotstar. It didn’t live up to the hype for me though I usually like coming of age movies, and rom coms. It had its moments but I found myself getting irritated by the way he was trying to catch the girl while not trying at all to get a decent job while punching much above his weight.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Rahul
April 19, 2024
The editing in this clip is incredibly enjoyable to watch. The transition to the interval could have easily been tacky, but everything falls into place perfectly.
LikeLike
Satya
April 19, 2024
MANK: Yes, Amal Davis is the best of the lot. That’s why he is a supporting character. We can’t afford such writing for the lead here. This film runs on foolishness from all corners with only one character making sense.
But seriously, who the hell says “Hey, why are you getting so low? This is not the first rejection you got, is it?” and expects the other person to be okay with it. Show some class, woman. THIRUCHITRAMBALAM had two ladies shut the doors on Dhanush’s character, and even he couldn’t help but side with their choices.
But I guess such things make PREMALU very realistic. I didn’t enjoy it wholly, but it deserves the success, I would say. Also, it captured Hyderabad so well, and I am thankful for it being a Hyderabadi.
LikeLike
abishekspeare
April 20, 2024
Premalu 2 has been announced –
https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/premalu-2-release-2025-naslen-k-gafoor-mamitha-baiju-2529523-2024-04-20
LikeLike
Anuja Chandramouli
April 20, 2024
Spoilers ahead.
I wouldn’t call it a great film and the ‘villain’ character was so badly conceived and executed, it was too cringe for words. But what kept me invested was the writing which was really inspired in parts and the performances by the leads who really sold it. The connection between them was improbable yet palpable and strangely sweet. Just the fact that she was comfortable enough to tell him she had the loosies and had to keep running to the loo and him going all out to provide her with an ayurvedic cure… It moved my cynical heart 😊 And of course there was that wonderful turn by Sangeeth Pratap playing Amal Davis. Like some here, I would also happily watch an entire film based on that bromance.
LikeLike
Vanya
April 21, 2024
I had a similar reaction as Tonks. The performances were excellent but the writing was underwhelming in an Apatowesque way. Escapist fare in which a man with no personality, looks, or a meaningful career can find a partner who has all that and more. And he doesn’t have to pick up the slack by being her emotional support or even share any similar interests.
And another excellent message for young men – keep pursuing (read: stalking) that woman you just met even if she expresses no romantic interest in you; women have no idea what they want so she will eventually change her mind and, as a bonus, probably apologize for leading you on too!
If the movie had ended with Reenu expressing how much she valued his friendship and Sachin growing in his understanding and appreciation of women and his relationships with them, it would have made for a more compelling narrative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinjk
April 23, 2024
“Sachin and Amal’s reaction shots during a Radha-Krishna dance…”
I could imagine Mohanlal-Mukesh combo in the 80s 90s doing these.
absolutely loved the movie .
LikeLike
Aadesh Ramaswamy
April 28, 2024
https://www.reddit.com/r/MalayalamMovies/s/vPFwLC2aaz
Had to post this. Just showcases how much important editing is
LikeLike