Premam (English: Love ), directed by Alphonse Puthren and released in 2016, is a landmark Malayalam coming-of-age romantic drama. Produced by Anwar Rasheed and starring Nivin Pauly, the film transcended typical genre conventions to become a massive commercial success and a defining cultural touchstone for a generation. While its plot is a simple narrative of a man’s romantic pursuits across three stages of his life, its stylistic execution, music, and relatable emotions turned it into a phenomenon far beyond its home state of Kerala.
Critics in 2016, like Rajeev Masand, called it "a film that understands that love is not a goal, but a series of beautiful accidents." It cleaned up at the Kerala State Film Awards, but more importantly, it won the hearts of a generation disillusioned by toxic masculinity on screen. premam -2016-