The Telugu romantic drama ‘Couple Friendly’, directed by debutant Ashwin Chandrasekar, has officially made its way to OTT platforms after its theatrical run. The film, which released in theatres on February 14 to mark Valentine’s Day, is now available for streaming on OTT.Starring Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi in the lead roles ‘Couple Friendly’ explores the complexities of love faced by young couples.
Story explores a modern live-in relationship
Set primarily in Chennai, the film follows the journey of a young working couple navigating life together.Santosh Sobhan plays Siva, a young man from Nellore who moves to Chennai to pursue a career in interior design. He crosses paths with Mithra, played by Manasa Varanasi who is an independent and ambitious professional woman.As their connection grows stronger, the two decide to live together while building their careers. What begins as an intense and hopeful romance soon faces several unexpected challenges. Seems interesting? Well you can stream the film on Amazon Prime Video now.
Emotional turn changes the tone of the film
According to our exclusive ETimes review, the film undergoes a major shift in the second half of the story. The review noted, ” the narrative takes a sharp turn in the second half when Mithra is diagnosed with a terminal illness. While this twist aims to intensify the emotional depth, the treatment veers into melodrama, at times resembling the overly sentimental tone. The pacing dips noticeably, and the family drama surrounding her condition unfolds in a predictable, formulaic manner. What started as a refreshing slice-of-life romance slowly drifts into familiar and conventional territory, losing much of its earlier charm.”
Director’s debut shows promise
For Ashwin Chandrasekar, ‘Couple Friendly’ represents his first feature as a director and ETimes also commented on the director’s effort, stating, “Debutant director Ashwin Chandrasekar shows clear promise with a refreshing and engaging first half, but the film struggles to maintain that momentum, weighed down by excessive drama in the latter portions. Nevertheless, it remains a sincere and commendable effort overall.“
Box office performance
During its theatrical run, ‘Couple Friendly’ recorded modest but notable box office numbers. According to reports from Sacnilk, the film performed steadily across several markets.The film earned a worldwide gross of Rs 13.57 crore within 13 days of release. This included Rs 11.97 crore from India and Rs 1.60 crore from overseas markets.Its reported net collections stood at Rs 10.57 crore across 7,235 shows during that period.
