The Girlfriend

The Girlfriend is a film that feels in regards to Indian cinema almost unprecedented: a powerful and feminist character study with a three dimensional female protagonist. The film centers on Bhooma (Rashmika Mandanna in a star making performance) a grad student who falls hard for the charming Vikram (Dheekshith Shetty, also strong) but soon Vikram’s seeming quirks become much less charming and much more toxic and controlling with Bhooma now stuck in an emotionally abusive relationship can she take her power back? The Girlfriend is a small treasure, a little film with a huge gut punch. Credit must go to Mandanna who gives a terrific performance, charming than heartbreaking than badass as she fights to take back her agency, but credit is also due to writer/director/co-star Rahul Ravindran who crafts the kind of story we rarely see in Indian cinema, a thoughtful story that has three dimensional characters regardless of gender and a narrative that challenges culture norms in a thoughtful and nuanced manner. The Girlfriend isn’t just one of the year’s best, it deserves to be a watershed for the Indian film industry going forward. 

I Give It 5 Stars!!!