Films like Dude and their staggering success can have positive consequences in the coming years. Film observers opine that there is a need for the rom-com/romantic drama genre to make a strong comeback on the big screen in the age of tentpole event movies and spectacle-driven actioners.
Pradeep Ranganathan in Tamil and budding Telugu stars like Mouli Thanuj in Telugu might be leading the way in this regard. Recently Little Hearts became a hit in Telugu, trumping even Anushka Shetty's Ghaati and holding onto its potential in the face of Mirai. Next month's Telugu release, The Girlfriend, has the potential to become a hit; Rashmika Mandanna headlining it makes it a thorough contender. It seems to be a contemporary relationship drama where the protagonists grapple with modern-day relationship issues.
The success of such films, back to back, in a short span, will inevitably encourage new filmmakers to conceive romantic plots. Recently, journalist Omjasvin MD tried to analyze why actors like Pradeep Ranganathan are increasingly growing popular with the audience. "Post-2010, Tamil cinema largely moved away from rom-coms and relationship-centric stories. Even stars like Vijay shifted to action, mass entertainers or social-themed films. The rest followed suit diving into mass entertainers, fantasy worlds, or dark, retro or drug-laced dramas. Turns out, that audience never left but was waiting for someone to speak its language again. That’s where Pradeep scores. He has revived the rom-com space with relationship-centric films with Gen Z-friendly storytelling and dialogues that feel current," he wrote.
