The Girlfriend (Netflix) Review: Rashmika’s Heart-Wrenching Performance Saves a Film That Almost Roars
December 5, 2025 – Let’s be honest: the first hour of The Girlfriend will make you want to throw your remote at the window. You’ll mutter, “Why am I watching this toxic nonsense?” and wonder if Rahul Ravindran is secretly trolling the audience.
But stay with it.
Because somewhere around the interval, the film pulls the rug from under you, flips the script, and suddenly becomes the movie it was always pretending NOT to be. And when that twist hits, you’ll realise the frustration was deliberate. It’s a risky gamble — and it almost works.
A “good girl” falls for the campus bad boy who reminds her of everything wrong with Indian patriarchy — and the film dares you to root for him… until it doesn’t.
The Good: Rashmika Mandanna’s Career-Best Emotional Depth
Let’s get this out of the way — Rashmika Mandanna is phenomenal here. She carries the entire second half on her shoulders. The scene where she confronts the mirror version of herself in her boyfriend’s mother’s saree? Chilling. The quiet breakdown when she realises both the men controlling her life are cut from the same cloth? Heartbreaking.
This is easily her most mature, layered performance since Pushpa. The National Award buzz is already starting — and for once, it feels deserved.
The Bad: First Hour Feels Like a Prank
The film opens with every toxic trope you’ve seen a hundred times:
- Hero punches a middle-aged cop for scolding girls → treated as “heroic”
- “Tu meri maa jaisi lagti hai” pickup line → somehow works
- Romantic BGM over literal violence
- Father catches daughter with boy in room → blames daughter
You’ll hate it. You’re supposed to hate it.
The genius (or flaw, depending on your patience) is that the film is gaslighting YOU along with the heroine. When the mask finally drops, the payoff is powerful — but getting there requires serious tolerance for red-flag romance.
The Ugly Truth It Exposes
Without giving spoilers, The Girlfriend is ultimately about:
- How society romanticises controlling, violent men
- How “good girls” are trained to excuse toxic behaviour
- How patriarchy is passed down from father to boyfriend like a cursed heirloom
It’s not subtle, but it’s brave. Very few mainstream films dare to make the audience complicit in the toxicity before ripping the carpet away.
Performances: Who Shines, Who Doesn’t
| Actor | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Rashmika Mandanna | Outstanding – career-best |
| Dheekshith Shetty | Perfectly punchable villain-lover |
| Rao Ramesh | Terrifyingly real as the father |
| Anu Emmanuel | Wasted in thankless role |
Technical Aspects: Mixed Bag
- Cinematography: Stunning college campus shots, haunting mirror sequences
- Background Score: Manipulative in first half (by design), haunting in second
- Pacing: First hour crawls, second hour flies
- Writing: Clever concept, clunky dialogue in parts
Should You Watch The Girlfriend?
Yes, if:
- You loved Thappad or Darlings-style social dramas
- You can survive a frustrating first half for a strong payoff
- You want to see Rashmika in a never-before-seen avatar
Skip if:
- You hate slow burns
- You’re triggered by toxic relationship depictions
- You want a clean, feel-good weekend watch
Final Verdict: An Elegy for Missed Potential
The Girlfriend wants to be India’s answer to Promising Young Woman — a revenge thriller disguised as a romance. It reaches for greatness and, for 45 brilliant minutes in the second half, actually touches it.
But the sluggish pacing, some on-the-nose dialogue, and overlong first act hold it back from true excellence.
Still, for Rashmika Mandanna’s transformative performance alone, it deserves a watch. Just don’t give up at the interval.
Rating: 3/5 – Frustrating, flawed, but fiercely important.
Streaming on Netflix from December 5, 2025.
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