Movie: Dude
Rating: 2.5/5
Banners: Mythri Movie Makers
Cast: Pradeep Ranganathan, Neha Shetty, Mamitha Baiju, R.Sarath Kumar, Hridhu Haroon, Rohini, Aishwarya Sharma, Dravid Selvam and others
Music: Sai Abyyankar
Director of Photography: Niketh Bommi
Editor: Barath Vikraman
Production Designer: Latha Naidu
Action: Yannick Ben, Dinesh Subbarayan
Producers: Naveen Yerneni, Y Ravi shankar
Written and directed by: Keerthiswaran
Release Date: October 17, 2025
Young Tamil star Pradeep Ranganathan, who has already delivered hits like Love Today and Dragon, is now aiming for a hat-trick. He has actively promoted the Telugu version of his latest film.
Let’s see if it lives up to the hype.
Story:
Kundana (Mamitha Baiju) proposes to her bava Gagan (Pradeep Ranganathan), having developed feelings for him since childhood. Gagan, already nursing a heartbreak from a previous failed relationship, does not give her a clear answer and keeps dodging the situation. Kundana’s father (Sarath Kumar) also wants her to marry his menalludu Gagan.
However, things take a turn when Kundana, having been rejected by Gagan, falls in love with another man (Hridhu Haroon). Despite this, circumstances force Kundana and Gagan into marriage. Kundana and her boyfriend then request Gagan to divorce her and help them reunite so they can move abroad. Gagan agrees, but complications arise.
Will Kundana’s father allow it? And will Gagan truly sacrifice his wife and hand her over to her lover?
Artistes’ Performances:
For Pradeep Ranganathan, this role is well within his comfort zone. He once again proves that he can shoulder an entire film with ease. His natural energy breathes life into many sequences and keeps the narrative going.
Although he is not as comical as he was in Love Today and leans more towards a “Tyagaraju” (a sacrificial type), his performance remains engaging and his effortless charm works in his favour.
Mamitha Baiju leaves a solid impression with her natural screen presence and fits the role with remarkable ease. Neha Shetty makes a brief but notable cameo, as does Satya.
Sarathkumar shines in a role that blends negativity with humour and delivers it superbly. Rohini is convincing as Pradeep’s mother, while Hridhu Haroon does well as Mamitha’s boyfriend.
Technical Excellence:
There has been considerable hype surrounding Sai Abhayyankar’s music, especially since this marks his debut. But nothing worked in his favor with songs and the background score feels fairly routine. The music overall does not quite live up to the massive buzz it received.
On the technical front, the cinematography is impressive, while the editing is a mixed bag. The writing shines in parts but feels mediocre in others.
Highlights:
Pre-interval episodes
Lead Pair
Drawback:
Unconvincing second half
The climax portions
Heavy drama
Analysis
Pradeep Ranganathan is not just an actor but also a writer and director. His talent in all three departments was evident in “Love Today,” where he excelled as writer, actor and director. He also impressed as a performer in “Return of The Dragon.”
In “Dude,” however, he restricts himself to acting and leaves the writing entirely to debutant director Keerthiswaran. While he once again shoulders the film with ease, his absence from the writing is clearly felt, particularly in the second half.
The first half remains firmly in Pradeep Ranganathan’s comfort zone, filled with entertaining and lively portions.
The second half shifts focus toward delivering messages about honour killing and respecting women’s emotions. While the intent is commendable, the scenes leading to these conclusions lack conviction, and some episodes are problematic.
Pradeep’s character attempting to “sacrifice” his wife to her boyfriend, including a labour-room sequence, feels forced. His actions in the latter half resemble the kind of 1990s Venkatesh-style sacrifices, one after another. The drama that unfolds after he tries to help Mamitha Baiju and her boyfriend move to Canada becomes tedious.
The subplot involving Neha Shetty and Pradeep is also undercooked. Even after the film ends, it remains unclear why she broke up with him, both for the audience and for the protagonist.
The extended ending that hints at Dude 2 is amusing, but by then the film has already lost momentum.
Had the narrative stayed rooted in the fun tone of the pre-interval portions, it could have become another Love Today. Instead, it turns out neither completely entertaining nor entirely dull, settling somewhere in the middle.
Overall, “Dude” is a partly engaging film with a strong first half and an unconvincing second half. Pradeep Ranganathan’s screen presence and a few effective comedy scenes make it a decent, but not entirely engaging watch.
Bottom-line: Partly Works
