Couple Friendly Review: Manasa Varanasi stuns in this refreshing romantic drama with a solid twist

Couple Friendly Story

Shiva (Santosh Sobhan) is an interior designer struggling to make it big in Chennai. He meets Mithra (Manasa Varanasi) and eventually, after a while, ends up in a live-in relationship with her. While Shiva starts getting busy with his interior design career, Mithra struggles to settle into her career. If this was not enough, a weird issue creates a rift between the couple. This aspect comes in as a major twist in the film, and how the couple faces it is the basic story of Couple Friendly.

Couple Friendly Review

Couple Friendly has been written and directed by Ashwin Chandrasekhar, who is from Chennai. That is one of the major reasons for setting the film in the bylanes of Chennai. This backdrop plays a crucial role in the mood of the film and gives us a very realistic approach while watching it. However, the film is not about the city or the live-in relationship between the lead pair.

The entire first half focuses on the issues faced by the male lead and how a girl changes his life after she becomes his roommate. The best part of Couple Friendly is the manner in which the romance falls into place without being awkward. Ashwin narrates the first half in such a way that there is a lot of drama that keeps us glued to the screen.

Yet another highlight of the film is the way scenes from the second half and future events have been attached to the screenplay, which makes things even more interesting. The scenes that showcase this are designed in a superb manner.

Couple Friendly is not your regular romantic drama and has an intense twist in the second half. The audience is not at all prepared for this aspect of the film, and the emotional angle this twist brings is the major highlight of the second half.

However, the film also tends to get slow at several places. The director takes a long time to reach the conflict point and adds family drama that derails the plot a bit. Couple Friendly also clicks because of the casting.

Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi are top-notch, and as they are relatively new, the subject matter becomes even more impactful in the second half. While everyone thinks that the film is a romantic drama, the twist that the director takes is very good and ends the film on a heavy note.

Coming to the performances, Santosh Sobhan puts in another heartfelt performance and shines especially in the first half of the film. Santosh is a very good actor and has been struggling due to a lack of proper hits. This film will surely bring him back as he delivers his career-best performance and is amazing in the emotional scenes.

But it is Manasa Varanasi who steals the show in the film. Be it her looks, body language, or performance, she binds you and gives a fresh appeal to the film. She will surely create a solid impact with this film and grab a few eyeballs. Manasa Varanasi's chemistry with Santosh, their banter, romance, and the ego issues they go through are showcased superbly by the young actress.

On the technical front, cinematographer Dinesh Purushothaman impresses the most. His natural and grounded portrayal of Chennai lends a strong sense of realism and elevates the overall mood of the narrative.

However, the music does not leave a strong impact, and certain scenes in the latter half seem stretched and could have been trimmed for a tighter screenplay. The editing in the first half is not that great, as there are a few scenes related to the struggle that should have been trimmed.

Couple Friendly came in without any expectations, and the word of mouth will do all the talking in the next few days, as the romantic drama is high on drama, and the intense twist leaves you with a heavy heart.

Couple Friendly Verdict

On the whole, Couple Friendly is a well-made romantic drama with a unique twist in the second half. Be it the performances, drama, or emotional turmoil the characters go through, this film is a breezy watch this weekend. Manasa Varanasi is the show-stealer, and Santosh Sobhan finally makes a solid comeback with this impressive film.

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