The movie poster.
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Movie review: Couple Friendly
Cast: Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi
Director: Ashwin Chandrasekhar
Rating: 7.5/10
Modern day love stories with a realistic feel are hard to come by. While some love stories have become clichéd - in walks a Telugu film titled Couple Friendly – a tale of two youngsters meeting in a city away from home and forming a bond deeper than they would have expected.
Siva (Santosh Sobhan) is a care-free guy who cannot seem to find a stable job. Mounting family pressure forces him to leave for Chennai in search of a job. In Chennai, he resorts to a bike tax service to manage his daily costs. Luck turns in his favour when he meets Mithra (Manasa Varanasi) – an unemployed software engineer who is trying to find a job while being hounded by her parents to get married.
Siva and Mithra bond over their similar life patterns, with her guiding him into opening his own company and securing business as an interior designer. However, the smooth, dreamy love story soon turns stormy, laying challenges on the path to happiness for this couple.
Capturing Chennai’s vibrant backdrop with striking cinematography, the film sets its tone beautifully in the first half – fast paced, slightly chaotic, and just as unfamiliar to the lead pair as they are to each other.
Sobhan's grounded, quietly-compelling performance brings an authenticity that anchors the story, while Varanasi’s fresh, spirited, go-getter energy creates a charming contrast. Together, they form a duo that feels natural and dreamlike, making their journey easy to root for as a couple. While the production team may not feature the industry’s most recognisable names, director Ashwin Chandrasekhar, producer Ajay Kumar and music director Aditya Ravindran craft a beautifully simple love story that feels honest and heartfelt.
Their gentle storytelling and soothing musical palette come together, leaving you warm right up to the final moments.
Couple Friendly is streaming on Prime Video.