Prem Keetanu, the Hindi romantic comedy directed by Apoorv Singh Karki, was released in theatres worldwide on October 2, 2026, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti. The film stars Veer Pahariya in his first romantic lead role, alongside debutante Aafiya Sayed, Aparshakti Khurana, Nikhil Vijay and Rakesh Bedi.
The film is produced by Gaurav Verma under his newly launched banner Avanika Films, co-presented with Phars Film and in association with Bhavana Studios. It marks the first independent production venture for Verma, who previously worked as an independent producer on films including Darlings, Bhakshak, Jawan and Badla during his time at Red Chillies Entertainment.
Cast and Characters
Veer Pahariya plays Vishal, a directionless college backbencher who juggles two jobs while navigating romantic confusion. Aafiya Sayed makes her Bollywood debut as Suhani, a focused student who lands a job at a software company. Aparshakti Khurana plays Ranjeet, Suhani’s confident boss who competes for her attention. Nikhil Vijay appears as Magan, Vishal’s supportive best friend. Rakesh Bedi plays Suhani’s father.
Aafiya Sayed is the niece of filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala. She built her foundation through theatre and short films before making her big screen debut. Before the film’s release, she had around 14.5K Instagram followers.
Production and Remake Connection
Prem Keetanu is an official Hindi adaptation of the 2024 Malayalam hit Premalu, directed by Girish AD and starring Naslen and Mamitha Baiju. The original film crossed the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide and was among the highest-grossing Malayalam films of 2024. Producer Gaurav Verma acquired the remake rights and assembled the team shortly after.
The story follows a group of college friends navigating heartbreak, family expectations, career challenges and growing up. The narrative is set against the backdrops of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR. The makers described the characters as ‘Jinko college main na marks mile, na ummeed, na pyar, kuch mila to sirf dost aur khoob sare heartbreaks.’
Director Apoorv Singh Karki, known for Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and Aspirants, addressed casting trolls in an exclusive interview with Zoom. He said, ‘Veer ke chehre pe innocence hai. Vishal ka joh character voh play kar raha hai voh ek masoom sa bachcha hai. Hum bhi vaise colleges mein padhe hain jahan hume ishq hua hai aur vahan rejection bhi hua. Kisi bhi ladki se hume college mein pyar ho jata hai, usmein ek innocence hoti hai. Mujhe vahi innocence chahiye thi aur voh Veer ke chehre pe dikhti hai.’
He added, ‘All of us have been one film old. That is never my measuring criteria. Veer ne bohot zyada surrender kiya hai iss project ko. The moment he read the script, he wanted to do the film. I saw that conviction in him, and he was willing to surrender to the script and process; he was chosen.’
Music Album
The film features a seven-song album composed by Sachet-Parampara, Annkur R Pathakk, Rahul Mishra, The Rish and Shashi Suman. Lyrics were written by Kunaal Vermaa, Sachin Urmtosh, Prince Dubey, Sandeep Singh Sardaraa and Meer. The soundtrack brings together singers including Sachet Tandon, Parampara Tandon, B Praak, Armaan Malik, Papon, Jubin Nautiyal, Madhur Sharma, Altamash Faridi, Shashi Suman, Brijesh Shandilya, Little Bhatia and Mazemusicc.
The first four released songs were Undi Bundi, Kaho Toh, Tu Mera Raiyyo and Ishq Ka Ghulaam. Undi Bundi depicted hostel life and friendship, Kaho Toh brought romance with Qawwali vocals by Altamash Faridi, Tu Mera Raiyyo presented a softer shade of love, and Ishq Ka Ghulaam was a heartbreak track sung by B Praak.
Producer Gaurav Verma said about the music, ‘With Prem Keetanu, we didn’t want the music to feel like three or four songs sitting around a film. We wanted it to feel like a playlist of this age, the madness of being with your friends, the stupidity of a crush, the rush of falling in love and then all the emotions that come with it.’
He added, ‘Each composer and singer has brought a different colour to that world, and that was important to us because young people don’t experience life in one mood. The fact that audiences are picking up different songs for different reasons is incredibly gratifying. When someone tells you they are dancing to Undi Bundi, humming Kaho Toh or finding themselves in Tu Mera Raiyyo, you know the music has travelled beyond the screen. That’s exactly what we hoped this album would do.’
Trailer and Promotions
The official trailer was released on September 22, 2026, introducing a youthful story packed with romance, friendship, college mischief and relationship confusion. The trailer brought together Veer Pahariya and Aparshakti Khurana as romantic rivals competing for Aafiya Sayed’s character.
Veer Pahariya also collaborated with Varun Dhawan for a social media dance video to the film’s track Ishq Ka Ghulaam. Varun’s pet dog Joey made a special appearance in the clip. Veer captioned the post, ‘Teen Bhai, Teeno Tabaahi’.
A special screening was held in Mumbai on October 1, 2026, ahead of the theatrical release. Salman Khan attended the event and was seen interacting with Veer Pahariya and Aafiya Sayed. Other celebrities present included Jacqueline Fernandez, Karan Johar, Sara Tendulkar, Zareen Khan, Himesh Reshammiya, Raveena Tandon, Munawar Faruqui, Urfi Javed, Kanika Kapoor and Orry.
During the screening, Salman Khan waited for actress Sakshi Malik to finish her red-carpet photographs before stepping onto the red carpet himself. A video of the moment was widely shared on social media.
OTT Controversy
Before the film’s release, the original Malayalam film Premalu was removed from the streaming platform JioHotstar, where it had been available in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi. The removal coincided with the release of the Prem Keetanu teaser in August 2026 and sparked outrage among fans of the original film.
Fans took to social media to express their frustration. One user wrote, ‘But removing the original version from the OTT platform for this reason is absolute nonsense. #Premalu’. Another questioned, ‘Why for this you have to remove premalu from ott?’ The Telugu dubbed version of Premalu remained available on Aha.
The trailer also drew mixed reactions, with some viewers questioning whether the film was truly a remake of Premalu due to differences in tone and setting. The original was set in Hyderabad, while Prem Keetanu was set in Delhi-Gurgaon and Uttar Pradesh.
Critical Reception
Reviews for Prem Keetanu were mixed to negative. Filmfare gave the film 3 out of 5 and noted that director Apoorv Singh Karki did not attempt to merely reproduce Premalu in Hindi. The review stated that Karki gave the Malayalam hit his own spin, shifting the setting, tonality and different character dynamics while retaining the romantic framework.
Bollywood Hungama rated the film 2 out of 5 and wrote that Prem Keetanu is a decent entertainer with some good performances and entertaining moments, but suffers due to a weak second half and stretched portions.
The Telegraph India review stated that the film follows the broad architecture of Premalu but strips away much of its softness. The review noted that the transitions are rarely smooth and the film feels less like a cohesive narrative than a showcase assembled around its cast, songs and familiar Bollywood beats.
India Today described the film as a preachy drama that fails as a modern rom-com, noting that its over-ambitious preaching is undermined by a confused plot and stereotypical writing. The Times of India called it a breezy rom-com that delivers on humour and youthful charm, even if its predictable plot and limited emotional depth keep it within familiar genre territory.
Box Office Performance
Prem Keetanu opened to a slow start at the box office. On its opening day, October 2, 2026, the film collected approximately Rs 0.50 crore net in India across 1,886 shows, with an occupancy rate of around 12 percent. The India gross collection stood at approximately Rs 0.60 crore.
The film clashed with Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam: The Conclusion, which dominated the box office on the same day. Drishyam: The Conclusion recorded over Rs 40 crore in advance bookings, while Prem Keetanu recorded Rs 1.09 crore in advance bookings.
The opening figures for Prem Keetanu represent a 95 percent decline compared to Veer Pahariya’s debut film Sky Force, which opened with Rs 12.25 crore net in India in 2025 due to the star presence of Akshay Kumar.
On Day 2, October 3, 2026, collections remained soft. Live updates showed approximately Rs 0.07 crore net in the morning and afternoon window, bringing the total India net to around Rs 0.57 crore and gross near Rs 0.68 to 0.73 crore. Occupancy hovered in the low teens with fewer shows compared to the opening day.
The film’s runtime is 2 hours and 18 minutes. It received a UA16+ certification from the Central Board of Film Certification. The production budget is estimated at around Rs 3 crore, though this has not been confirmed by the makers.