Prem Keetanu review: Veer Pahariya's harmless rom-com has enough charm to entertain, needed more to impress
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
An aimless young man meets an ambitious girl. Sparks fly. The girl rejects him, and he suddenly discovers purpose in life. If not for this wafer-thin plotline, Bollywood’s rom-com industry would probably be in doldrums. Off the top of my head, I can recall variations of it in Wake Up Sid!, Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Lakshya. And now, here’s another one: Prem Keetanu, starring Veer Pahariya , a remake of the 2024 Malayalam hit Premalu .
Adding to this, The original was a major success, so a Hindi remake was perhaps as inevitable as Veer breaking into a step from the movie’s song Andi Mandi at every possible occasion of late.
Meanwhile, The story revolves around Vishal (Veer Pahariya), who falls for Suhani Sharma (Aadia Sayed). While he harbours dreams of moving to the United States and making a life for himself, she lands a corporate job under the pompous and arrogant Ranjeet (Aparshakti Khurana), who has his eyes on her. What follows is a clash between the two men as they attempt to win Suhani over. Who eventually succeeds forms the rest of the plot.
Notably, There is a certain breeziness to the screenplay by Girish AD and Deepak Kingrani, which opens with one of Bollywood's most dependable tropes: two college friends living it up. The chemistry between Veer and Nikhil Vijay, who plays his best friend, feels effortless, resulting in some genuinely funny moments. The first half largely revolves around the clash between Vishal and Ranjeet, building towards the interval at a reasonably engaging pace. However, the movie begins to lose some of its spark when it shifts focus to the central love story. The romantic track lacks the same energy that made the initial portions work. Adding to the problem are too many songs, several of which do little to advance the narrative.
As per the latest buzz, What is also jarring is the movie's lack of a larger purpose. Prem Keetanu doesn't seem to know where it wants to go, eventually falling back on the familiar notion that no matter how fiercely a woman values her independence, she will ultimately realise her feelings for the male lead and the two will end up together. As a result, the movie feels less like a cohesive narrative and more like an amalgamation of a few funny moments strung together without a compelling destination.
In further updates, In the performance department, Veer Pahariya does a great job. He has good comic timing, so he should explore more such roles in the future. Nikhil Vijay stands out as his funny best friend. Aparshakti Khurana does well in his role as the obnoxious Ranjeet. Rakesh Bedi as Suhani's father is dependable. Aadia makes a confident Bollywood debut.
On top of that, Overall, Prem Keetanu isn't entirely devoid of charm. Its breezy first half and some funny exchanges ensure that there are stretches when the movie is quite enjoyable. The problem is that these moments remain just that: isolated bits rather than parts of a well-rounded narrative. The love story needed more emotional pull, while the screenplay seems unsure of what it wants to say beyond the familiar boy meets girl template. By the time it reaches its predictable conclusion, you are left with the feeling that the movie had what was needed for an enjoyable rom-com but could have been put together in a better way.
Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, movie critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden ticket-window panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times