An Indian guy lacking any qualities to be a good partner emotionally manipulates the woman he loves, and they get together. That’s been the template for romance in the majority of Indian romantic movies. Girish A.D.’s Premalu doesn’t offer much more than that, and its extensive runtime is the final nail in the coffin. At least here, the main guy unironically accepts his mommy issues, and the girl is okay with it.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Movie?
Sachin is an engineering student, surprise surprise, who gets rejected by the girl he likes on the final day of college. The only way Sachin can even talk with women is if he’s drunk, and that tells you everything you need to know about the character. Sachin’s plan to move to England is shattered when his visa application gets rejected, and that’s when he meets Amal Davis, a friend from school. Both of them decide to move to Hyderabad to take classes for GATE examinations, and Sachin comes across Reenu. Reenu is an independent, self-made woman who has her priorities straight about her standards for a potential partner. The two worlds collide in a much less dramatic way, and Sachin’s pursuit to woo Reenu in the most awful ways sums up the script.
How Do Sachin And Reenu Meet?
Sachin is struggling with the classes and Amal’s late-night calls with his girlfriend. They live in a room with a single cot, and they take turns sleeping on the cot. Reenu joins an IT company, and she’s just starting her career. The excitement of the first salary being credited, to explore new places in a big town, she plays her part as an adult. Her boss, Adhi, is into Reenu, but he plays it subtly. Sachin and Reenu’s eyes meet when Sachin’s erratic driving leads to him crashing into the wedding of his teacher. Reenu is from the bride’s side, and she finds Sachin’s antics funny. Adhi is seriously not a guy with a sense of humor; he covers up his lame jokes with a JK (just kidding). No, I’m not kidding, that’s what he does. Sachin’s humor makes Reenu laugh, and Adhi’s jealousy only keeps increasing.
Can Sachin Impress Reenu?
Sachin is a weird introverted guy, and he lets his friend do the talking. Sachin is shy and doesn’t have the nerve to initiate a conversation, he asks Amal to start the conversation with Reenu and her friend Karthika. When Amal does impress the women, Sachin is mad at him for being a bad friend. Sachin’s tomfoolery knows no bounds, but he gets lucky when Reenu and Karthika tag along in his car to go back to the city. A beautiful road trip that showcases the beauty of Tamil Nadu and Sachin’s awful face while he daydreams about romancing with Reenu. Sachin soon moves into Reenu’s neighborhood and starts working in a fried chicken store to be close to her. Amal asks the girls if they want to hang out in the pub, and Sachin gathers every last penny he has. Karthika makes it clear that Reenu wants a guy who is settled in life, while Sachin doesn’t even have a plan for the next day. Sachin, as always, drinks the pain away and passes out like the usual average Devdases do.
What Changes The Dynamic Between Sachin And Reenu?
Sachin doesn’t lose hope, and he keeps working at the shop to save more money. Reenu has started to enjoy Sachin’s company; I question her taste. However, Reenu treats her office colleagues, and she asks Sachin to deliver the food for them. After Adhi creates a nuisance over the food when he gets to know Sachin delivered it, Reenu gets upset and leaves for her hometown for a break. Sachin had gone to Salem to collect his degree, and coincidentally, Reenu’s train is about to reach the town. She tells him about how her stomach is bugging her after eating the burger, and Sachin runs to give her an ayurvedic medicine to help with the stomach ache. Sachin runs at breakneck pace,trips, breaks his phone , but manages to get to Reenu. Reenu notices the abnormal behavior of someone who claims to be a friend and calls him later on the phone. It turns out Sachin has hopped on the train too, and Reenu calls him to her own compartment. Reenu asks Sachin why he’s been putting in all these efforts for her, but he denies having feelings for her,only to confess his love later when she’s asleep”. A few days later, Reenu invites Sachin over for her birthday party, where she’s only invited close people. It’s just her parents, roommates, Adhi, Sachin, and Amal. Sachin’s gift is probably the only cute thing about the movie, which is a bunny-shaped light that changes colors when you tap it. Both of them start to talk more and more, and then, with the usual WhatsApp conversions, do I really need to say more?
What Happens When Sachin Gets Rejected?
Reenu finds a job opportunity in a start-up for Sachin, and while putting his resume together, he confesses his feelings for her. Reenu obviously rejects him, and that’s the last time she’s sensible in the movie. Sachin gets upset and leaves, and then keeps avoiding Reenu. Reenu, for some implausible reason, keeps trying to get back to him. Sachin is hurt, and he leaves for Chennai, abandoning her. I mean, in a normal world, he should be thankful that she ever talked to him, but of course it’s all about making the girl realize how she truly misses him and everything he used to do for her, which is basically nothing. Reenu misses him, and her life has been in shambles since Sachin left the city. To put more salt in her burn, Karthika is getting married and shifting to Bangalore. Adhi is still salty for the times Reenu ditched him for Sachin, and he misbehaves with her in the office. All this for Sachin, quoting Adhi, “it’s not like we’re talking about the great Sachin Tendulkar.”
What Happens At Karthika’s Party?
Karthika invites her friends from Hyderabad for a little wedding party, and Sachin finally returns to Reenu. Not at all interested in talking to her, but Reenu tries to talk nonetheless. Sachin informs her that his visa has been approved, and he’s leaving for England the very next day. Drinking more than talking, Sachin gets into a verbal fight with Adhi. Sachin and Amal body Adhi in a state school versus CBSE fight. Both of the boys soon pass out on the rooftop, and Reenu gives Sachin a heart-shaped pillow while standing under the fairy lights. Before leaving for England, it seemed like Sachin had lost his final chance at love.
Do Sachin And Reenu End Up Together?
Amal is ready to drop Sachin off at the airport, and what’s Indian romance without a good old airport scene? But this movie even fails in this, as the climax is more of a road rage. Reenu joins Sachin to bid him goodbye, and a vengeful Adhi waits for his payback. Adhi has managed to get a few henchmen from his coconut farm, and he and Thakur from Sholay are no different in this moment. He wants Amal and Sachin’s legs broken, and he follows Sachin’s car. Amal and Sachin lose it when they see men literally swinging pipes and axes at them from behind. In the middle of this cartoonish chase, Reenu finally confesses her love for Sachin. His joy is short-lived, as Adhi catches up to them. If there’s one thing this movie does right, it’s the callbacks from minor setups in the first half. Adhi had provided pepper sprays to the women of the office, and Reenu used the same spray to leave him blinded. Unfortunately for Adhi, none of his henchmen know how to drive a car, and Sachin gets away. There isn’t really much to say about the ending, as the couple decides to start a long-distance relationship after coming into it half an hour ago. A lukewarm hug between Sachin and Reenu truly shows how a lack of chemistry can make things more bitter than they need to be. It’s a happy ending for the couple as they text each other on WhatsApp. Is it a happy ending though? Not for me, that’s for sure.
