The Girlfriend (2025)

The Girlfriend 2025: what we know

The Girlfriend 2025 is a Telugu-language romantic drama written and directed by Rahul Ravindran, an actor-turned-filmmaker. Rashmika Mandanna leads, and the coverage we found frames the story as a relationship drama rather than a conventional love story.

The film was released in Telugu and Hindi versions, so it is accessible to viewers in both languages. We have not watched it and cannot comment on how the performances or the screenplay work.

Cast and crew

Dheekshith Shetty plays Vikram, the male lead. Anu Emmanuel, Rao Ramesh and Rohini are listed in supporting roles, and director Rahul Ravindran also appears on screen as Prof. Sudheer according to the sources. Other character names were not confirmed in what we read, so we leave them out.

Release date and where to watch The Girlfriend

The film opened in cinemas on 7 November 2025. Netflix streams it in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, and the OTT date of 5 December 2025 was announced on 30 November 2025. Reported box-office totals differ across outlets, so we do not cite one. Check Netflix for current availability in your region.

Production background and craft

According to Wikipedia's account, the film is produced by Vidya Koppineedi and Dheeraj Mogilineni, with Geetha Arts also involved as distributor. Krishnan Vasant is credited as cinematographer and Chota K. Prasad as editor, while Hesham Abdul Wahab and Prashanth R. Vihari are named for the songs and Vihari for the background score.

Principal photography is reported to have started in early 2025, with locations around Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and other parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The same source says a large share of the shoot took place on the campus of NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, which suggests a story anchored in a college environment. The listed running time is 138 minutes.

Themes and how it was received

Coverage describes the film as an examination of control and emotional dominance inside a relationship, along with family pressure and a young woman's wish for independence and a career. That makes it closer to a conversation-starter than a light campus romance, and viewers should go in expecting discomfort rather than escapism.

As reported, reviews were mixed. Several critics praised Rashmika Mandanna's performance, the subject matter and the music, while others found the pacing slow and the storytelling predictable; published star ratings ranged from two to four out of five depending on the outlet. Wikipedia also reports that the film did not recover its cost at the box office, though figures vary by source, and it found a wider audience once it reached Netflix.

Who it suits

Reports say critics were divided: some praised the lead performance, others questioned the pacing and screenplay structure. That is a useful signal for viewers deciding whether to watch. It is aimed at those who prefer a relationship-focused drama over a light romance, and at followers of Rashmika Mandanna's work.