Cast: Naslen K. Gafoor, Mamitha Baiju, Shyam Mohan, Sangeeth Prathap, Akhila Bhargavan, Meenakshi Raveendran, Althaf Salim
Crew:
Written by Girish A. D., Kiran Josey
Cinematography by Ajmal Sabu
Music by Vishnu Vijay
Edited by Akash Joseph Varghese
Produced by Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan, Syam Pushkaran
Directed by Girish A. D
Premalu Movie Rating: 3.25/5
Fahadh Faasil and Dileesh Pothan with Syam Pushkaran have been looking to support the new wave of filmmakers in Malayalam cinema with brilliant and fresh stories to narrate. After Kumbalangi Nights, they have produced another universal hit like Premalu. Movie has been a box office hit and also growing its audience all-over with the leads becoming heavily popular with each day. Mamitha Baiju has become one of the recent big crushes for boys post the film release. What made this film such a huge success? Let’s discuss about the film, in detail.
Plot:
Sachin Santosh(Naslen K. Gafoor) suffers a heartbreak on the last day of his college. The person he has been in love with doesn’t reciprocate same feelings towards him. He wants to go to UK and pursue Masters but his Visa is rejected due to financial issues. He wants to find a way to get out of his town and dysfunctioning house. He meets Amal Davis(Sangeeth Prathap) and he asks to him join him in taking GATE coaching as he wishes to get admission in same college as his lover. They both go to Hyderabad for GATE coaching searching their destiny.
On the other hand, Reenu Roy(Mamitha Baiju), a computers graduate, finds job in a tech company based in Hyderabad. Since, there are many malayalis in the office, she befriends them and starts to discover the beauty of life in Hyderabad. She looks like growing closer to Aadhi(Shyam Mohan). At one wedding, Sachin crash enters unable to control a car and Sachin for the first time meets Reenu. He likes her immediately and starts finding circumstances to meet her and impress her. Will she be impressed by him? Or Will she fall for Aadhi? Watch the movie to know more.
Analysis:
The first thing that makes us fall in love with this movie is the kind of love makers showcase for Hyderabad. Being a Hyderabadi, I found myself appreciating the beauty behind the structures and regualar places in the city through an outsider’s lens. Ajmal Sabu should be appreciated for capturing the beauty with almost an alien eye without compromising on the lived-in feel and the light drama that the film is going for. His cinematography adds freshness and depth to the beauty and innocence the leads bring to the proceedings. Hyderabad like Bangalore in Bangalore Days becomes a character and that serves to the ever-growing diversity of the city and opportunities that it beholds to the dreamers not for those within but for outsiders too.
When the plot seems to be very old and slightly cliched, you want the makers to bring some freshness to the scenes in some angle. Girish A.D, the director managed to find that something that makes this film unique. He found a couple of youngsters who have believable chemistry and created scenes that are completely grounded and real. While the story is fantasy at best, the scenes and the drama doesn’t try to overhaul and over-emphasize on the fantasy element. It is as real as Tholiprema gets while at the same time both harbor romantic fantasies.
Naslen Gafoor has the boyish charm that should make him part of many of such romances for sure in coming days. Mamitha Baiju will surely take off post this film into stratosphere. The offers would be pouring in for her as the social media is already going gung-ho about her. But she has to be careful in selecting her scripts and not fall into the traps of “hot symbol” just yet. While everyone delivered their best, Shyam Mohan’s Aadhi character, could have been written much better as it seems to go into unnecessary caricature zone after first hour. Music and editing are other plus points of the film. Premalu remains light-hearted romantic movie that you won’t mind watching in theatre or whenever and wherever you want to ease off from the regular life’s relentless stress.
Positives:
Mamitha Baiju’s smile and performance
Naslen and Mamitha chemistry
Visuals of Hyderabad
No heavy melodrama
Breezy narrative
Negatives:
Characters for comedy go into caricature zone at times
Some cliches might have been handled better
Climax doesn’t have same impact as first hour
Premalu Movie Bottom-line: An easy watch for everyone!
Nandamuri Balakrishna in his coolest and cruellest look ever!