Couple Friendly – A Perfect Valentine’s Day Watch

Couple Friendly is a 2026 Telugu-language romantic drama written and directed by Ashwin Chandrasekar. The film has Santosh Soban & Manasa Varanasi playing the lead roles while Rajeev Kanakala, Goparaju Ramana, Yogi Babu, Sunil Reddy, Narasimha, Bhargav Ram, Vijay Vallabhaneni, Sri Ranjani, Pramodini, Anjali Nair & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Aditya Ravindran while the film is produced by Ajay Kumar Raju. P under UV Concepts & UV Creations banners.
Story:
Shiva (Santosh Sobhan), who is trying to establish himself as an interior designer, and Mithra (Manasa Varanasi), who is searching for an IT job, meet unexpectedly in Chennai. One day, when Mithra suddenly has to vacate her hostel, Shiva takes her around the city on his bike searching for a new place. As it gets late and they fail to find a hostel, Shiva asks her to stay in his room and share the rent. Trusting him, Mithra moves in.
The two grow closer and gradually enter into a live-in relationship. With Mithra’s support, Shiva progresses in his career and establishes himself as an interior designer. However, despite her efforts, Mithra struggles to find a job. This creates tension between them, leading to arguments and separation. Do Shiva and Mithra reunite? Do their families find out about their live-in relationship? Does Mithra finally get a job? Where does their relationship head next? The rest unfolds on the big screen.
What about on-screen performances?
Santosh Sobhan gives out his career-best performance in this film as Shiva. There are two shades to his role, and he plays both of them quite effectively on screen. He is too good in the love scenes, and the way he delivers his lines has surely improved a lot. He impresses especially in the emotional scenes, where he showcases good depth and maturity.
Manasa Varanasi stands out as the biggest highlight of Couple Friendly. Her portrayal of Mithra is adorable and beautifully nuanced, making it one of the most memorable female lead performances in recent Telugu cinema. She brings a natural charm and emotional depth to the character, and her voice adds more value to her overall act. It’s impossible not to be drawn to her screen presence, and with this performance, she clearly proves that she is a promising talent to keep an eye on.
Rajeev Kanakala and Goparaju Ramana fit perfectly into the roles of the hero and heroine’s fathers.
Yogi Babu as the carpenter and Sunil Reddy, who plays the heroine’s friend’s lover, provide occasional comic relief.
Narasimha, Bhargav Ram, Vijay Vallabhaneni, Sri Ranjani, Pramodini, Anjali Nair & all others are good in their respective supporting roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Ashwin Chandrasekar is very well written. It has all the trappings that are needed in a love story. All the love scenes are written freshly, including the unique introduction of the hero and heroine, and the way they meet is well thought out.
The screenplay is beautifully written, especially in the first half. The nonlinear narrative creates some curiosity as well. The film has all the required elements that are needed for a breezy romantic drama. Right from the scene where the lead couple meet, their lovely conversations, their romance, a good conflict point, neat family drama, and heart-touching emotions.
The first half focuses on introducing the two lead characters, how they meet, fall in love, and eventually move into a live-in relationship. It is presented in a cute and light-hearted manner, with a touch of comedy throughout. The interval comes with a conflict between them, creating curiosity about what will happen next. In the second half, the entry of both their parents adds more interest to the story. The love story takes an emotional turn in the latter half, but there are places where the film gets a bit slow in these portions; however, the climax is unexpected.
Director Ashwin Chandrasekar does an excellent job with his whole presentation. Firstly, huge credit to him for choosing to go for live locations to shoot the film. Also, his casting is spot on, and he brings out the best chemistry from his lead pair. His narrative too is engaging with likeable characters, adorable romantic moments, and relatable emotions.
The dialogues are the biggest strengths of the film. All the conversations are beautifully written, especially in the love portions in the first half.
The music by Aditya Ravindran is refreshing. All the songs come along with the narrative and gel well with the situations. His background score is impressive too.
The cinematography by Dinesh Purushothaman is outstanding. His framing is terrific, and his lighting is commendable. All the Chennai locations are shot naturally and add a very good flavour to the overall output.
The edit by Ganesh Siva is on point. The flow of scenes is smooth, and there is no lag in the film.
The artwork by Michael and the costumes by Dinesh Manoharan are very effective.
The production values by UV Concepts & UV Creations are first-rate.
What’s Hot?
* Santosh Soban’s Performance
* Manasa Varanasi’s Performance
* Awesome Chemistry Between The Lead Pair
* Breezy First Half With A Superb Love Track
* Yogi Babu & Sunil Reddy’s Comedy Scenes
* Good Songs & Backgournd Score
* Emotions In The Second Half
* Cinemtography & Production Values
What’s Not?
* Gets A Bit Slow In The Second Half
* Resolution Of The Conflict Could’ve Been Better
* Family Emotions Could’ve Been Stronger
Verdict: Overall, Couple Friendly is a lovely romantic drama that is shot beautifully with some solid performances from Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi. Along with some sparkling chemistry from the lead pair and a refreshing love story, Couple Friendly is your perfect Valentine’s Day watch in the theatres!!
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 3/5
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