Premalu Review

Preamalu - A Breezy Romance elevated by solid performances

Love and cinema have no language barriers.  This fact has once again been proved beyond doubt by the super hit success of 'Manjimmel Boys'.  Now comes the Tamil version of the blockbuster Malayalam romance 'Premalu' releasing on March 15th.  Whether this breezy romance tastes the same success remains to be seen.

The title 'Premalu' is justified as the story is set majorly in Hyderabad where the hero Sachin (Naslen K. Gafoor) , a small-time village boy arrives to study a course before he can migrate to the UK.. He and his friend share a modest room.  At the same time Reenu (Mamitha Baiju) also finds a job as a software tester.  Aadhi (Shyam Mohan) , her team leader, has his eye on her and tries to impress her.  At a wedding Sachin falls heads over heels with Reenu but there is a world of difference in their personalities as well as their economical backgrounds.   Whether Sachin is able to woo Reenu and will she choose him over the more affluent Aadhi is what the rest of the 'Premalu' screenplay is all about.

Naslen K. Gafoor with the boy next door looks, charms his way throughout the film as Sachin.  He is equally adept in the lighter scenes as well as the emotional ones when he faces rejection from the girl.  Mamitha Baiju is captivating as the bubbly Reenu with her eyes consistently twinkling with the innocence of a girl stepping into adulthood.  Her reactions and counters to all the other characters is a treat to watch.  Mamitha is going to make a big splash in South Indian cinema for sure in the near future.  Sangeeth Prathap is a scream as Amal Davis bringing the house down in several instances.  Shyam Mohan as the self centered half villain is a big plus for the film with his humour in the climax working big time.  The rest of the cast are all natural making the film more relatable to the audiences.

What works best is the natural flow of the screenplay giving the impression that one has been transported into the youthful world of 'Premalu'.  Most of the scenes are laced with humour that makes the watching delightful.  Watch out for the wedding a and engagement sequences in Hyderabad and Bengaluru..   The character dynamics between the lead pair is so opposite to each other that the journey to them coming together is quite interesting.  The film also speaks about friendship through Amal and Krithika characters and the flirting also is organic.

On the downside the screenplay flounders in the second half as it takes an oft seen route to the cliched but fun climax.  The love which is at the center of the subject is handled in a much lighter manner lacking depth.  The Tamil dubbing at a few places sounds unnatural and also dilutes the humour in a few crucial scenes.

Vishnu Vijay's music is a big plus with the remix of M.M. Keeravani's super hit song 'Ya Ya Ya Yadava' is already becoming a rage among youth.  Ajmal Sabu's cinematography makes sure that the audience is always a part of the narration while Akash Joseph Varghese's cuts give a smooth flow from start to finish.  Fahadh Faasil and Friends have produced the film while the Tamil version is distributed by Red Giant Movies.  Director Girish AD is known for his coming of age and female centric films.  He has written and executed a breezy romance to near perfection and since the film is already a huge blockbuster has reaped his rewards already.

Verdict : Go for this youthful romantic comedy