Name: Couple Friendly
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 2026-02-14
Rating: 6.0
Cast: Santosh Shobhan, Manasa Varanasi

Set in the bustling streets of Chennai, the story follows an aspiring interior designer struggling to land his first big break. When he starts bike pooling, fate brings him face-to-face with a girl, and an unexpected connection blossoms into a captivating romance.

Couple Friendly

Times of India

The Indian Express

Shiva, an aspiring interior designer from Nellore, arrives in Chennai chasing big dreams but finds himself barely making ends meet as a bike taxi driver after walking away from home. His life takes an unexpected turn when he meets Mithra, an ambitious IT graduate searching for her first job in the city. What begins as a casual bike ride gradually evolves into an unusual living arrangement when Mithra struggles to find accommodation. To ease the financial strain, Shiva offers to share his rented room and split expenses — a practical decision that sparks a warm, organic connection between two strangers navigating a new city.
The first half thrives on this simplicity. As Mithra helps Shiva take small but meaningful steps toward his interior design aspirations, their companionship slowly blossoms into love. The film beautifully captures the chaos, vulnerability, and quiet hope of young dreamers trying to survive in Chennai. Director Ashwin Chandrasekar authentically portrays the city’s vibrant essence, making it more than just a backdrop. The emotional beats feel earned, and the chemistry between the leads adds a refreshing sincerity to their journey.
Santosh Shoban delivers a heartfelt and restrained performance as Shiva, convincingly portraying a young man torn between pride and vulnerability. Manasa Varanasi brings charm and warmth to Mithra, making her both relatable and endearing. Together, they make the early portions of the film engaging and emotionally grounded.
However, the narrative takes a sharp turn in the second half when Mithra is diagnosed with a terminal illness. While this twist aims to intensify the emotional depth, the treatment veers into melodrama, at times resembling the overly sentimental tone. The pacing dips noticeably, and the family drama surrounding her condition unfolds in a predictable, formulaic manner. What started as a refreshing slice-of-life romance slowly drifts into familiar and conventional territory, losing much of its earlier charm.
Debutant director Ashwin Chandrasekar shows clear promise with a refreshing and engaging first half, but the film struggles to maintain that momentum, weighed down by excessive drama in the latter portions. Nevertheless, it remains a sincere and commendable effort overall.

Valentine’s Day releases typically come with certain expectations, either go fully commercial with grand romantic gestures or stay safe with feel-good moments. Couple Friendly tries something a bit different, and while it doesn’t always succeed, there’s enough honesty here to make it worth your time. The film’s biggest strength is how real the characters feel. Shiva isn’t some confident hero who has it all figured out, he’s anxious about money, unsure about his career, and genuinely trying his best. Mithra isn’t waiting around to be rescued; she’s actively solving her own problems while dealing with a work situation that’s beyond her control.

Santosh Sobhan plays Shiva with a quiet desperation that rings true. You’ve probably known someone like this, talented, hardworking, but stuck in that frustrating phase where nothing’s clicking yet. He captures that energy well, making you root for him even when he’s just trying to land one decent client. But Manasa Varanasi completely steals the show. Her Mithra is chatty, impulsive, practical, and full of life. She doesn’t just support the hero’s journey, she has her own story, her own struggles, and her own personality that shines through every scene. The performance feels natural rather than acted, and she brings genuine warmth to the film.

Their chemistry works because it builds slowly. They’re not falling for each other in montages set to romantic songs, they’re becoming friends first, supporting each other through tough days, celebrating small wins together. The first half is filled with these small, tender moments that feel earned rather than manufactured.
The music by Aditya Ravindran deserves special mention. The songs don’t just interrupt the story, they enhance it, adding emotional depth without being loud about it. Combined with the decision to shoot in actual Chennai locations with real Tamil being spoken in the background, the film has an authentic texture that most films set in other cities lack.
The title “Couple Friendly” and the promotional material make you expect one kind of film, but the second half takes a sharp turn into heavier emotional territory. There’s a twist involving their families discovering their living situation that shifts the entire mood. While the emotions are handled decently, the transition feels abrupt. The core concept itself isn’t particularly new, which kind of unravels in the latter half of the film.

The first half moves at a comfortable pace with lighthearted moments. The second half suddenly gets serious with family drama and relationship complications. It’s not that these scenes are bad, they’re just tonally different from what came before, and some viewers expecting consistent romantic vibes throughout might feel caught off guard. The director uses different aspect ratios to show different timelines, which is a creative choice but can be confusing at first. The editing mostly works, though a smoother emotional transition between the two halves would have helped.
If you’re looking for a film that takes young relationships seriously without being preachy about it, Couple Friendly delivers. It acknowledges that modern relationships are complicated, there are practical concerns, family pressures, individual dreams that don’t always align perfectly.

The film doesn’t claim to have all the answers. It just presents two people trying to figure things out together, making mistakes, dealing with consequences, and attempting to be honest with each other and their families. That’s more realistic than most romantic dramas give us.

Couple Friendly isn’t perfect. The second half could have been smoother, and the tonal shift might not work for everyone. But it has heart, strong performances (especially from Manasa Varanasi), and enough genuine moments to overcome its flaws.

Santosh Sobhan has been waiting for a solid hit, and while this might not be the massive breakthrough he needs, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. For a Valentine’s Day release, it offers something more substantial than just surface-level romance, it’s about two people actually trying to build something real while dealing with very real problems.


Couple Friendly Official Trailer (Telugu) | Santosh Soban | Manasa Varanasi | Ashwin Chandrasekar

Couple Friendly Official Trailer (Tamil) | Santosh Soban | Manasa Varanasi | Ashwin Chandrasekar

Santosh Sobhan is an Indian Film Actor who mainly works mainly for Telugu movies. He is the son of Varsham movie director "Sobhan". He worked as child artist for Telugu movie"Golconda High School". Later he worked for "Thanu Nenu" starring opposite Anandi(Avika Kaur).

Couple Friendly(2026)