Rashmika’s “The Girlfriend” - Your Movie Friend Till The End?

One of this week’s much-awaited Tollywood releases, The Girlfriend , starring Rashmika Mandanna, hit theatres amid high anticipation. Directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Rahul Ravindran for Chi La Sow 2018(Best Original Screenplay), the film dives deep into the complexities of modern relationships and emotional control. Let’s find out if it is your perfect weekend cinema friend?

Expected plot and the story

Bhooma Devi (Rashmika Mandanna), a second-year MA Literature student, is known to everyone as a sweet and innocent girl. However, her relationship with her boyfriend Vikram (Deekshith Shetty) slowly turns toxic, leaving her struggling to find her voice and freedom. The story traces Bhooma’s journey of emotional suffocation, realization, and self-liberation showing how a girl once controlled and dominated stands up for herself with quiet strength.

What Makes

The Girlfriend Different?

Rahul Ravindran’s storytelling, screenplay brilliance once again comes to the fore. His screenplay, which earned him acclaim with Chi La Sow (2018), is the true highlight of this film. The way he portrays Bhooma’s emotions through subtle cinematic details like her sleeping posture, curled up and defensive powerfully conveys her state of mind.

The interval block and the pre-interval sequences stand out as examples of exceptional screenplay and direction. The film doesn’t rely on heavy dialogues but lets visual storytelling and atmosphere speak louder.

Performances

Rashmika Mandanna:

This is undoubtedly Rashmika’s film. Carrying the story on her shoulders, she delivers one of her most restrained and mature performances to date. Her eyes convey Bhooma’s fear, confusion, and eventual courage beautifully. The climax and interval portions, in particular, showcase her impeccable acting range.

Deekshith Shetty:

Portrayed for the 1st time in the negative role, Deekshith Shetty plays the aggressive and controlling boyfriend convincingly. While a few moments feel slightly forced, his performance adds depth and tension to the narrative.

Rohini (Vikram’s mother)

With not a single line of dialogue, Rohini proves once again why she’s such a natural performer. Her expressions and presence add emotional weight to the film.

Anu Emmanuel

delivers a decent supporting act, while Rao Ramesh fits perfectly into his role as Bhooma’s father.

Music and Background Score

Composer Hesham Abdul Wahab, fresh off his successful Hi Nanna album, once again creates magic. His background score elevates the emotional depth of several key moments, especially the scenes of tension and realization.

The standout track, Naadive , perfectly captures Bhooma’s inner turmoil and transformation. The lyrics “Etu kadalani nimisham nulimina gontukavaa, Natanika chaalane eda moosinaa kona oopirunna chaitanyam” blend seamlessly with the scene where Bhooma finally decides to confront her reality but couldn't because of her inner conflicts and turmoil.

Other songs too complement the narrative effectively without breaking its emotional rhythm.

Production and Technical Aspects

While the college and hostel settings appear slightly artificial and less immersive, the production design improves significantly in the second half, especially during the climax. The visual tone and lighting in the film’s emotional sequences work beautifully with the story’s theme.

The Girlfriend stands out for its sensitive writing, Rashmika Mandanna’s heartfelt performance, and Hesham Abdul Wahab’s evocative background score. Despite a few shortcomings in production design, the film leaves a lasting emotional impact.

We can say it’s a one-time watch film that will definitely resonate with every girl who’s ever been confused between a red flag and a green flag in a relationship, or gives courage for someone who’s already dealing with some red flags in their lives. By the end, every girl will walk out of the theatre with a newfound sense of confidence and clarity, each one of them can see their reflections in the mirror of life controlled by men, how every girl is always defending herself even in her deepest dreams, hurting herself even without realising the fact that she's the one who’s gaining the pain. But as they say there’s always hope at the end of a tunnel but here the tunnel seems filled with trauma and distress. But sometimes even after we end everything it doesn't seem to end, watch the movie to see show Rashmika ends it her way

Rating: 3/5

A poignant, well-acted relationship drama that’s worth watching for its screenplay and Rashmika’s career-defining performance. We can say that it is almost equivalent to “Lover” 2024 movie starring Manikandan K and Sri Gouri Priya.

X (Twitter) Reviews

Early audience reactions on X are filled with praise for Rashmika Mandanna, with many calling her performance “National Award-worthy.” Most users have rated the film between 3 to 3.5 stars, appreciating its realistic portrayal of toxic relationships and emotional strength.