The Girlfriend Movie Review – A Passionate Premise That Fails to Ignite
Rating: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5)
National Crush Rashmika Mandanna teams up with Dheekshith Shetty for the much-hyped romantic drama The Girlfriend, written and directed by Rahul Ravindran. Presented by Allu Aravind under Geetha Arts and Dheeraj Mogilineni Entertainment, the film released worldwide on November 7, 2025, in five languages — Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. With music by Hesham Abdul Wahab and visuals by Krishnan Vasant, The Girlfriend promised an intense, emotional love story rooted in reality and raw emotion.
💔 Story: Love, Pain, and Possession
The Girlfriend revolves around Vikram (Dheekshith Shetty), a passionate young man whose love for Bhoomi (Rashmika Mandanna) begins with tenderness but slowly descends into obsession. The film explores how a relationship that starts as deeply emotional transforms into a suffocating dynamic of control and misunderstanding. The narrative attempts to delve into modern relationships — their intensity, fragility, and the thin line separating love from toxicity. But while the premise is ambitious, the execution falters midway.
🎭 Performances
Rashmika Mandanna shoulders the film with grace and sincerity. As Bhoomi, she delivers an emotionally layered performance, showcasing vulnerability and strength in equal measure. Her expressions in the emotional breakdown scenes stand out and remind viewers why she’s considered one of the most expressive actresses of her generation.
Dheekshith Shetty performs well as the passionate yet flawed lover, portraying the shades of love, frustration, and obsession convincingly. However, the writing limits his range in the latter half. The chemistry between the leads works in parts but lacks consistency. Supporting roles by Rao Ramesh, Rahul Ravindran, and Anu Emmanuel add some emotional depth but remain underdeveloped.
🎞️ Technical Aspects
Technically, The Girlfriend is polished. Krishnan Vasant’s cinematography captures the romantic tones and emotional transitions beautifully, especially in the montage and rain sequences. The background score by Hesham Abdul Wahab elevates several emotional moments, though a few tracks feel repetitive. Editing by Sreejith Sarang could have been tighter, especially in the sluggish second half. The film’s dialogues are effective in parts but tend to become melodramatic toward the end.
🌟 Highlights
- Rashmika’s emotional performance
- Dheekshith’s realistic portrayal
- Beautiful visuals and background score
- Strong first half setup with relatable relationship dynamics
⚠️ Drawbacks
- Weak screenplay and pacing issues in the second half
- Predictable narrative with an overdramatic climax
- Chemistry between leads feels inconsistent
- Emotional beats fail to land with desired impact
- Overuse of background score in certain portions
🧠 Analysis
The Girlfriend begins as an intense, grounded romantic drama with moments that draw viewers in emotionally. The first half builds intrigue with genuine chemistry and realistic conflicts. However, as the story progresses, the narrative loses its grip, becoming melodramatic and repetitive. Director Rahul Ravindran aims to explore the darker shades of love — how obsession can destroy relationships — but the writing doesn’t dig deep enough to make the message resonate.
Despite the strong technical backing and Rashmika’s committed performance, the film struggles to maintain emotional intensity. The second half feels stretched, and the climax, though intended to be powerful, leaves a sense of incompleteness.
❤️ Bottom Line:
The Girlfriend has its heart in the right place but falters in execution. Rashmika Mandanna shines, the music soothes, and the visuals impress — but the storytelling fails to keep you invested throughout.
🎯 Verdict: Emotionally ambitious but narratively uneven — watch it only for Rashmika.
⭐️ Rating: 2/5
