The Girlfriend

Name: The Girlfriend
Director: Rahul Ravindran
Genre: Drama
Released: 2025-11-07
Rating: 3.5
Cast: Rashmika Mandanna, Dheekshith Shetty, Anu Emmanuel, Rao Ramesh, Rohini

Directed by Rahul Ravindran

TezScore70/100 Favourable reception Generally favourable Early coverage · 1 scored of 1 Indian-media review How TezScore works IMDb 8.3/10

138 min 7 Nov 2025

Wikipedia IMDb

Synopsis

The Girlfriend

Bhooma Devi enrolls at Ramalingaiah College to pursue her master's degree in literature. Vikram is another new student pursuing a master's degree in computer science. One evening, she and her friend, Harshitha, are reprimanded by a police constable, but Vikram and his friends thrash the constable. The following day, Vikram and his friends return to college after being beaten up at the police station. Bhooma administers first aid to Vikram. Over the following days, Vikram befriends Bhooma. One evening, Vikram kisses Bhooma after they watch a movie in his hostel room. The following day, Vikram spreads the news that Bhooma is his girlfriend, and the two start dating. Durga, a debonair and urbane girl in love with Vikram, is envious and resents Bhooma. However, the two of them become good friends when they work together on a college play. All is not what it seems when Vikram threatens one of Bhooma's male friends to stay away from her and accuses her of enjoying attention from other men while acting in the college play. One day, Durga urges Bhooma to skip a meeting with Vikram at the canteen and join her at a games arcade. There, Durga attempts to warn Bhooma about Vikram, but Bhooma does not take it seriously. The following day, Vikram gives Bhooma the silent treatment for not feeding him and relents only when she does. On his birthday, Vikram takes Bhooma to Ballari to meet his mother. Bhooma is puzzled by Vikram's mother's shy, mute behaviour.

Director: Rahul Ravindran
Release: 7 Nov 2025
Run time: 138 min
Language: Telugu

Cast & crew

Rashmika Mandanna Cast

Dheekshith Shetty Cast

Anu Emmanuel Cast

Rao Ramesh Cast RO Rohini Cast RA Rahul Ravindran Director, Writer

Hesham Abdul Wahab Composer

Reviews

Indian-media reviews, grouped by reception.

Review snapshot

Generally favourable

The available source-linked Indian-media review for The Girlfriend is generally favourable. The scored review is 70/100.

IMDb is a reference rating and is not counted as an Indian-media review.

Best forViewers looking for drama and romance in Telugu cinema.

Reception Order

All 1 review shown

The Indian Express Swaroop Kodur

★★★★★ ★★★★★ 3.5/5

If Geetha feels repressed to assert her thoughts and disagreements in a world surrounded by a male shrill, so does Bhooma. The idea of love, be it of the romantic kind or the nurturing kind, being forced and burdened upon them is another unmistakable parallel between the two women. What fundamentally separates them, though, is the factor of accountability that one overlooks and the other accepts the onus of, highlighting the saviour syndrome that Indian cinema often employs to smooth over its gendered creases. As a result, The Girlfriend becomes a matter of pertinence as it goes about studying the skewed nature of the gender dynamics around us, and for all its other shortcomings, it still beams bright for opting to pursue its study from really up close.

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