The Girlfriend is not your typical love story and may not be screened in as many theatres as you'd like to, but it is definitely worth lauding for showing us the mirror about how we normalise toxic behaviour instead of taking a preachy tone, notes Divya Nair.
Toxic.
This is a word we have been hearing a lot lately.
In relationships.
At workplaces.
At home.
Even in friendships.
But how many of us have the intelligence and presence of mind to pinpoint the exact moment when someone starts manipulating you, your thoughts and most importantly, your life?
Most of you may have felt it -- the subtle nudge and dismissive attitude, but have you paused to identify or call the person out?
It is organic how certain individuals have the ability to gaslight you into believing their care and concern is love, but in reality, it is controlled cleverly disguised as affection.
And most of us don't even realise it until it's too late.
Surprisingly, this Telugu film The Girlfriend directed by Rahul Ravindran hasn't found many takers in Mumbai.
I'm glad I watched it.
Rashmika Mandanna plays Bhooma, an introverted student of MA Literature, who gets trapped in a relationship with Vikram (Dheekshith Shetty) from her college.
You don't require Einstein's brains to realise that Dheekshith is beyond the cool stud that he claims to be.
Beneath the charming boyfriend image lies an insecure, entitled man-child who can turn your life upside down.
Throughout the first half, you find yourself wondering how a guy like Vikram chose a partner like Bhooma, who is the exact opposite of him. But as the story unfolds, the answer becomes clear.
The first half also offers a fascinating peek into why and how certain people display and enforce specific behaviours -- shaped not just by intent, but by years of conscious and subconscious conditioning that normalises control, manipulation, and emotional dominance.
For Bhooma, it is not just her partner, she has been conditioned by her father as well to believe that obedience is duty and control is love.
The director, who also plays Bhooma's mentor in the film, has interestingly used mirrors to show Bhooma's struggle with identity and self realisation.
In one particular sequence, when Vikram says 'Do you know how I feel?', the camera ascends to show how authority and dominance is established in their relationship.
The bathroom scene -- where she realises that the walls are closing in on her -- is one of the best visual representations of Bhooma's toxic relationship with Vikram.
Rashmika is a powerhouse of talent, and she establishes that once again with her performance in The Girlfriend.
She's sincere as the introverted, submissive girlfriend who suffocates herself until she transforms into this fierce, independent woman who finally finds her voice.
Deekshit is equally brilliant in his role as the toxic boyfriend you'd love to hate.
While the film excels in its creative storytelling in specific scenarios, towards the second half, it fails to balance the scale. For example, while the lead character rightfully calls out on her toxic partner, what was disappointing was for Bhooma to go back to her father who, I felt, was responsible for her losing her confidence in the first place.
The Girlfriend is not your typical love story and may not be streaming in as many theatres as you'd like to, but it is definitely worth lauding for showing us a mirror about how we normalise toxic behaviours instead of taking a preachy tone.
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