The Girlfriend: An intimate portrait of narcissism, quiet sisterhood, and the girl who learns to breathe again

The very first imagery or any visual cue that The Girlfriend team had put out, was that of Rashmika Mandanna, the actor who plays the protagonist Bhooma, submerged in water. She appears to be smiling, and there is something unnerving about it, as her face soon changes into that of discomfort. She is surrounded by what appears to be plant shoots floating inside the water, the greenery perhaps symbolising that of growth and life. But the water that feeds the plants is also suffocating her, very much representing Bhooma’s boyfriend Vikram (Dheekshith Shetty), and his presence in her life. Perhaps, it was what Rahul Ravindran, the empathetic director of The Girlfriend had to say. That what may appear full of life might not be that after all nourishing and comforting. It would require you to come out, in this case, if Rashmika had pulled herself out of the water. The Girlfriend, what starts off as a college love story soon turns into a fatal attraction, lays the path to an intimate portrayal of narcissism meeting meekness. It shows a toxic man-woman relationship that culminates into a beautiful coming-of-age story.

The Girlfriend: A coming-of-age story that blooms

What is interesting about The Girlfriend is the how it begins from the first day of Bhooma joining MA English Literature. It’s within days we get to see her life intruded by fellow collegemate Vikram, who invites her for a movie night, kisses her, cements a relationship and even trumpets it. Evidently, Bhooma was not looking forward to all this or even attempting to make a move. Is she oblivious to the happenings around, can’t she say no to Vikram, or do we know if she had previous relationships, for her to understand this is not okay? But the film does not want you to think about that, for it is not about putting the onus on Bhooma, but that of Vikram, a self-centred narcissist who soon becomes her boyfriend. Its established right at the first moment we see him. When being ragged, Vikram is super confident to showcase his dancing skills. Self-confidence you may call it, but having all attention as others are in awe of them, is indeed the dream of every narcissist.

Also read: The Girlfriend: A Superb Rashmika Mandanna Headlines This Sensitive Take On Toxic Relationships

It is multiple times during the film when Vikram tenderly holds Bhooma’s face, only for him to reiterate that she doesn’t need anything or anyone else because her world is there in front of her eyes, that’s him. If this is not enough to prove his self-centred obsession, Vikram’s narcissistic side comes out every quickly into the relationship. When Bhooma’s performance at a college play is applauded, Vikram’s smile soon turns into a taunt, reminding Bhooma how many men would have gawked at her in a tight corset-like top and that she would have enjoyed it. Had Vikram not had all eyes on him when he danced his heart out during the ragging session?

How Rashmika Mandanna film celebrates sisterhood

The Girlfriend in many ways is a searing piece of cinema, which instigates you for the right reasons, and calms you down with the beautiful evolvements. One such is sisterhood, and that comes in form of two women who Bhooma befriends at the college; Harshitha who by Bhooma’s side always and represents the soft feminism that is underlying and comes at the need of it, and Durga (Anu Emmanuel), the fierce one who even unknown to Bhooma becomes the protector goddess just like her name. There is much that can make you hate Durga, an outward, American-accented girl who makes advances on Vikram even after knowing he is with Bhooma. But just about when you begin to form an opinion on Durga, you see her shedding some clarity to Bhooma. A play rehearsal makes Durga see the innocence of Bhooma, the latter who meekly asks her to teach on excelling in the performance. But what we are later shown is not Bhooma and Durga fiercely practising for their plays, but lovingly embracing time spending with each other as they learn and understand each other. At times when films often pitch women to be rivals to compete for a man’s attention, The Girlfriend, which had much reasons and opportunities to do so, never taps on trope, for it knows what is the issue it wants to fight for and sticks to it. There is also a scene where Durga confesses to Bhooma that she did try to kiss Vikram after knowing he was it her, leaving Bhooma flustered, but not before giving her food for thought on whether she thinks if he is really good for her. It is easy to ask Bhooma why she never leaves Vikram, but The Girlfriend is not about that. It wants you to understand that Bhooma, who had also willingly felt some genuine moments with Vikram, had to take her time to realise the vileness she had been trapped under.

Also read: Anu Emmanuel’s blunt take after The Girlfriend: Women face endless conditions while men just worry about money

The Girlfriend, sometimes not all okay

Of course, The Girlfriend is not free of flaws. In one of the bombarding routines of intruding Bhooma’s days with life-defining choices, Vikram takes her to meet his single mother. Rohini Molleti plays a coy woman who does not even lift her head up and utter a word, thanks to being the by-product of male chauvinism and patriarchy. It is over the top, sometimes wanting you to question which woman behaves ultra submissive to their son, at this age. The exaggeration is evident but the episode is built in such a way that it terrifies Bhooma on seeing herself as his mother in the coming years. It is that exaggeration that makes you feel uncomfortable and disdained towards the scene, that what is to come, will leave you questioning the reality. On the other hand, there isn’t a closure we get with regards to Bhooma’s father (Rao Ramesh), who had raised Bhooma all by himself, and yet not free of toxicity. Punishment had remained to be stark reminder on who is of authority in Bhooma’s household ever since childhood, that when you see her later taking tender care of her father, now that she is an adult, a little ick on father’s wrongdoings going unnoticed, lingers.

The Girlfriend is perhaps the best film that Rashmika has performed in her career so far. Not that it is her first headliner, but The Girlfriend truly stands like an anti-thesis to some films like Arjun Reddy or even her own Animal. The Girlfriend is not about women trashing up men to prove her feminism, or riding bike and smoking cigarettes. Not that the above said are metrics not to be done by women, but The Girlfriend does not go out of way to show women fight for themselves without having to change like a man. A prologue that shows Bhooma life after college, her work, travel, and being the master of own, is cathartic, relieving and blooming. Much like what Bhooma who we had seen earlier submerged in water would have felt after being take out of it. Perhaps, the fear of being fish out of water might blind us from realising that we are in fact butterflies destined to fly in air. The Girlfriend leaves you with such thoughts, just as a soft reminder of your capabilities and not as harsh critic of your choices.

FAQs

Q. Is The Girlfriend worth watching?

A. The Girlfriend, 2025 Telugu film, has been receiving good reviews from critics and audiences.

Q. What is The Girlfriend OTT partner?

A. Netflix has bagged the streaming rights of The Girlfriend.

Q. What is Rashmika's latest film?

A. Rashmika's film The Girlfriend is running in theatres.