‘The Girlfriend’ movie review: Rashmika shines in Rahul Ravindran’s brave take on stifling relationships

The Girlfriend is a film for the ages. Had it been made a decade or two ago, it would have felt just as relevant, and if revisited decades later, it would still hold true. Its layered exploration of men, women, and the childhood experiences that shape their adult relationships is timeless. Writer and director Rahul Ravindran crafts a slow-burn drama that cuts close to the bone — close enough to make us pause and reflect on our emotional maturity and approach to love.

Headlined by Rashmika Mandanna, the film is a refreshing counterpoint to the larger-than-life, alpha-male-driven narratives that have dominated mainstream cinema of late. Its courage lies not only in addressing suffocating relationships but also in the smaller, quieter details often considered too niche for box-office appeal.

Bhooma Devi (Rashmika), a postgraduate student of English Literature, introduces us to one such detail. When her professor, Sudhir (Rahul Ravindran, in an extended cameo), enters class and wryly admits he sometimes wonders whether his course will still have takers — or whether he will still have a job — it is a sharp comment on a world increasingly skewed towards degrees that guarantee high-paying careers.
source:thehindu.com