Dude (2025), a fun youthful entertainer

Dude (2025), starring Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju, is a regular romantic comedy—the kind that Pradeep has now become synonymous with. It’s a mash-up of familiar themes: friendship turning into love, learning to respect the choices of your love, and breakups. The premise is slightly absurd, yet director Keerthiswaran manages to deliver a balanced mix that works as an entertaining film. Mangoidiots gives it a Ripe.

The story opens with Agan (Pradeep) storming into a marriage reception and creating chaos after approaching the bride, who happens to be his former lover. This sets the tone for the kind of film we’re about to watch. Soon, we see his cousin Kural (Mamitha Baiju) getting him released from the police station. Kural is the daughter of a powerful Tamil Nadu state minister, played by R Sarathkumar. When Kural confesses her love to Agan, he initially rejects her. By the time he realises his feelings, she has moved on, leading to a chain of comic and dramatic moments. The screenplay is peppered with unexpected turns that keep the film mostly engaging.

The pairing of Pradeep and Mamitha works well. Their chemistry is balanced—any more and the film might have risked turning awkward. Both deliver convincing performances. Thankfully, Pradeep avoids his usual cigarette act and sticks to chocolates this time. He has toned down his Dhanush-inspired mannerisms but still slips into Rajini imitations now and then. It’s high time he develops a unique on-screen style of his own, which he’s certainly capable of. I watched the film at Chennai’s Casino theatre, where the youthful crowd cheered enthusiastically for him.

Mamitha Baiju looks lovely and is perfect for the role. She shines equally in emotional and playful scenes. R Sarathkumar is outstanding as always—convincing as both a doting father and a powerful community leader. He shines in the climax scene. Hridhu Haroon, as Paari, does a neat job too.

Music by Sai Abhyankkar adds energy to the film. The 139-minute runtime feels fine, though trimming about fifteen minutes could have made it crisper. The film’s streaming partner is Netflix.

Overall, Dude is a youthful entertainer with the right mix of humour, emotion, and drama.