Prem Keetanu Review: A Decent Entertainer Hindered by a Weak Second Half

Prem Keetanu Movie Review

PREM KEETANU follows the story of Vishal, played by Veer Pahariya, who meets Suhani Sharma, played by Aafiya Sayed, on their first college day at Banaras Institute of Science and Technology. After an initial fight and separate college trajectories, Vishal struggles academically and financially while trying to move to the USA, whereas Suhani excels and lands a job at AFL Software Pvt Ltd. Her boss, Ranjit, played by Aparshakti Khurana, is smitten by her and feels threatened when Vishal and Suhani cross paths again.

Adapted from the 2024 Malayalam film PREMALU, the story and screenplay are written by Deepak Kingrani. Apoorv Singh Karki directs the film, which features real and relatable characters set against the milieus of Delhi, Banaras, and Lucknow. Alongside Veer Pahariya and Aafiya Sayed, the cast includes Aparshakti Khurana, Nikhil Vijay as Vishal's friend Magan Arora, Rakesh Bedi as Suhani's father, Sachin Kathuria as Vishal's father, and Preeti Aggarwal as Suhani's mother.

While the film features straight-out-of-life dialogues, memorable scenes between Vishal and Ranjit, and standout performances from Nikhil Vijay and Aafiya Sayed, it faces several drawbacks. The second half loses steam, and portions such as the proposal, the fight sequence, and the interval block falter. Additionally, the film feels stretched with too many songs acting as roadblocks to the narrative.

On the technical front, Ketan Sodha provides a functional background score, Arjun Kukreti handles cinematography, Veera Kapur Ee designs the costumes, Ambika Acharya leads production design, Amin Khatib directs action, and Ritesh Soni edits the film. Ultimately, the film is a decent entertainer that may struggle at the box office due to a weak second half and minimal buzz.