Film: With Love
Rating: 2.75/5
Cast: Abishan Jeevinth, Anaswara Rajan, Kavya Anil, Saravanan, Ananthi Ayyappan, Harish Kumar, Sacchin Nachiappan, etc.
Cinematography: Shreyaas Krishna
Editing: Suresh Kumar
Music: Sean Roldan
Production: Soundarya Rajnikanth, Pasilian Nazerath, Magesh Raj Pasilian
Direction: Madhan
Release Date: 6 February 2026
Abishan Jeevinth is more popularly known as the director of Tourist Family (2025). With With Love, he makes his debut as a lead actor, which itself created curiosity among a section of the audience. Adding to that, Anaswara Rajan, the beautiful and talented actress, plays the female lead, making expectations reasonably high.
Let us now delve into what the film offers.
Story:
Satya (Abishan Jeevinth) meets Monisha (Anaswara Rajan) at a coffee shop, pressured by his elder sister (Ananthi Ayyappan) as part of a marriage proposal process. What starts as a casual meeting turns into a conversation where they share their personal backgrounds. Soon, they realise that they studied in the same school until 12th standard.
Monisha knows that Satya once loved his classmate Anisha Banu (Kavya Anil) during school days and asks him what happened to that love story. Satya narrates his past through a flashback. Similarly, Monisha also shares her brief love story with her classmate Balaji (Sacchin Nachiappan).
After revisiting their pasts, both Satya and Monisha decide to meet their respective ex-lovers and express the feelings they couldn’t confess earlier due to shyness and hesitation during their school days. What happens when they meet them? Under what circumstances do they find their ex-lovers? How do these meetings change their lives? The answers form the rest of the story.
Artistes’ Performances:
Abishan Jeevinth proves his talent as both a young schoolboy and a grown man. He looks rugged and natural, fitting well as a boy-next-door from a middle-class family.
Anaswara Rajan is at her best, with impeccable screen presence. She looks classy and pleasing to the eyes throughout her appearance, and her performance as a strong, independent woman works well.
Sacchin Nachiappan as the introverted Balaji delivers a convincing performance, almost resembling method acting in portraying introversion.
Kavya Anil, as a Muslim girl, carries a graceful screen presence.
Saravanan, though appearing briefly as a lecturer, makes an impact.
Ananthi Ayyappan, as the hero’s sister, gets meaningful scenes and performs them well.
The rest of the cast deliver adequate performances.
Technical Excellence:
The cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna is pleasing. Editing by Suresh Kumar is neat, with no noticeable jerks. Sean Roldan’s music effectively sets the mood, and the songs are simple, soulful, and supported by sensible lyrics.
The screenplay is mostly fine but suffers during the beginning of the second half, where the pace drops noticeably, though it picks up later. Direction, on the whole, is decent, but the comedy quotient could have been stronger to provide better relief and audience engagement.
Highlights:
Storyline
Performances
Feel-good emotional moments
Drawbacks:
Limited humour
Predictability in certain portions
Analysis:
Generally, we tend to see routine, cliched love stories in Indian cinema. Only occasionally does the industry evolve with different kinds of narratives. The idea of two young individuals meeting each other and deciding to meet their respective ex-lovers to express the love they failed to confess at a young age is, by itself, a fresh thought. When such a concept is taken as the core plot point, there are many ways to execute it, such as a feel-good film, a heart-touching emotional drama, an out-and-out comedy, or even a sentimental narrative.
The filmmaker here chooses a feel-good approach. Though a few scenes and moments are placed to derive humour, they do not suffice much. Had the film been made with stronger and consistent humour, similar to Pradeep Ranganathan’s films, it could have reached the next level.
The film loosely resembles the template of Naa Autograph: Sweet Memories initially, but gradually evolves into something different in mood, setting, and in its culmination. The songs are good. However, in the second half, a Tamil song is not dubbed into Telugu and is used as it is, which feels slightly odd.
On the positive side, the effort taken to showcase Telugu signboards, Telugu text, and outdoor locations, while consciously avoiding a Tamil atmosphere, is commendable. This helps the film avoid the typical dubbed-movie feel to a large extent.
Overall, the film offers sensible content, meaningful dialogues, and a feel-good appeal, though it may not provide the kind of humour-driven relief that Gen Z audiences usually expect today. The strongest aspect of this narrative is its nostalgic connect, which may resonate with a majority of the audience. The teenage vibes and human tendencies towards attraction to the opposite sex do not always blossom into marriage, unlike how many films portray, and that realism is well reflected here. Practicality, a little magic, and some acceptable cinematic liberties blend together to serve this film. The experience is neither boring nor highly engaging. It remains an okay watch with minimal complaints, except for a few noticeable drops, especially at the beginning of the second half.
Bottom Line: With Nostalgia
