Couple Friendly Review: A decent romantic drama

Couple Friendly: What’s the Story About?

Shiva (Santosh Sobhan) does bike pooling in Chennai to earn quick money while trying to establish himself as an interior designer. One day, while waiting for his payment to be credited at a PG hostel, he meets Mithra (Manasa Varanasi), who stays there. That meeting leads to friendship, then to sharing a room, and eventually they become lovers and live-in partners.

Mithra, who is bright and practical, attends job interviews in IT companies and also helps Shiva get clients for his interior designing work, making him self-reliant. Their love story does not move in a typical direction, nor do they face a routine obstacle. An unexpected incident changes everything. Will Shiva and Mithra finally marry, or does fate have a different plan for them?

Analysis

Ashwin Chandrasekar, who helmed “Couple Friendly”, is from Chennai and has set the story in the city he calls home. Shiva and Mithra come from different towns in Andhra Pradesh — Nellore and Chittoor — both geographically closer to Chennai. But this story is neither about the city nor merely about two people living together.

The director narrates the story in a slightly different manner and engages us right from the beginning.

The film first establishes the male protagonist’s struggles: joblessness, inability to succeed, constant pressure from his father, indirect financial support from his brother, and personal challenges within the family. Meanwhile, Mithra arrives in the city searching for a job and eventually moves into his room after losing her PG stay. Their unusual meeting, unconventional living arrangement, quick progression into love, and sharing a bed are presented in a trendy yet controlled manner.

The director also intercuts portions from later events, adding intrigue. The first half is engaging, though it takes slightly longer to reach the interval point. Personally, the first half appealed to me well.

Most Telugu directors falter in the second half. Ashwin Chandrasekar has done the common mistake. He seems to have drawn inspiration from the Hollywood film “The Fault in Our Stars” and the Korean film “A Moment to Remember.” For those who are familiar with those films, the similarities are easy to notice. I felt several scenes in the second half closely resemble them, making the inspiration quite apparent. That said, the climax works well and leaves an emotional impact. If we excuse these inspirations, the film remains a decent effort.

Santosh Sobhan once again delivers a sincere performance and is particularly good in the first half. Though he appears a bit older than Manasa Varanasi, their chemistry works. Manasa performs with ease and shows maturity in her role. She gets her due with this film.

Among the technicians, cinematographer Dinesh Purushothaman stands out. The realistic frames of Chennai city add authenticity and enhance the film’s mood. On the downside, the music is not very effective, and a few portions in the second half feel unnecessary.

Bottom Line: “Couple Friendly” works because of its engaging first half and emotionally effective climax. The twist feels familiar due to recent Bollywood blockbuster, yet the treatment and sincere performances make it a decent watch.

Rating: 2.75/5

By Jalapathy Gudelli