Couple Friendly, produced by UV Concepts and presented by UV Creations, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest release.
Plot:
Shiva (Santosh Sobhan), a budding interior designer from Nellore, moves to Chennai after facing pressure from his father and a recent breakup. To support himself, he works as a bike-taxi rider. Mithra (Manasa Varanasi), an IT aspirant from Chittoor, is in the city searching for a job. Due to a series of unexpected events, they end up living under the same roof. As they support each other’s professional growth, they fall in love. An unexpected quirk of fate threatens to unravel their relationship.
Post-Mortem:
Director Ashwin Chandrasekar builds up to a conversational love story. He sets up the story in a slice-of-life manner. Shiva is imperfect, having made his girlfriend feel used. Mithra has dated a fraud, someone she thought was decent. Their parents have a say in how their relationship goes through an unmistakably shaky phase.
Mithra's personality may be indistinct, but her verbalization is what makes her character likeable. "If you don't let me do what I like, I will forget my own identity," she says in a scene. She is a thoughtful female character who doesn't want the rare moment to pass. She is quite the nurturer of hope; in a crucial scene, when Shiva believes he is at the crossroads, she assures him of "All izz well", that too after a nocturnal setback and a near humiliation.
Shiva lucks out with the friendly, supportive Mithra in Chennai - the kind of luck life rarely presents to men in a hyper-materialistic society like ours. What makes his character stable is that he doesn't over-emote his happiness. His budding interior design freelancing business is used to build a bond with comedian Yogi Babu's character.
A male character is not just a wife loyalist but is also the textbook example of someone who is low-key anti patriarchal. There is a sugar daddy character. Rajeev Kanakala, who plays Mithra's father, is mocked as "death piece". The conversations between different characters turn more and more into a slice of life with each passing story milestone. Shiva is taught a key insight into the art of handling domestic tension by a female character.
The nature of the storyline is such that old-school treatment takes over. As characters pose themselves and answer the occasional existential question, the film acquires a certain offbeat tone. Yet, it is the sincere screenplay that keeps the interest intact. In one of the scenes, Shiva and Mithra have an intense conversation on a busy street; the dynamic of their relationship threatens to alter here.
Dinesh Purushothaman's cinematography is impressive; the streets of Chennai feel real. Editor Ganesh Siva keeps the pacing alright. Aditya Ravindran's music is not too dramatic. Goparaju Ramana plays the male lead's father. The film’s emotional resonance rests heavily on the capable shoulders of Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi.
Closing Remarks:
Couple Friendly is a mature, conversational drama that eschews loud clichés in favor of genuine emotion. While the pacing leans into a slow-burn style, the measured performances of the lead pair and the thoughtful dialogue make it a rewarding watch for those who appreciate realistic storytelling.
