Dude (2025 film)

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Dude
Dude (2025) Poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKeerthiswaran
Written byKeerthiswaran
Produced byNaveen Yerneni
Y. Ravi Shankar
Starring
Cinematography Niketh Bommi
Edited byBarath Vikraman
Music by Sai Abhyankkar
Production
company
Distributed by see below
Release date
  • 17 October 2025 (2025-10-17)
Running time
139 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget30 crore [2]
Box office100 crore [3]

Dude is a 2025 Tamil-language romantic action comedy film written and directed by Keerthiswaran. Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film stars Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju in the lead, alongside R. Sarathkumar, Hridhu Haroon, Rohini, Aishwarya Sharma and Neha Shetty.

Contents

The film, Keerthiswaran's directorial debut and Mythri's second Tamil production, was confirmed by its streaming platform Netflix in January 2025, while Mythri officially announced the project the following March under the tentative title PR 04, as it is Pradeep's fourth film as a lead actor. Principal photography commenced the same month in Chennai. The official title was revealed in May. The film has music composed by Sai Abhyankkar, cinematography handled by Niketh Bommi and editing by Barath Vikraman.

Dude was released worldwide on 17 October 2025 in theaters, coinciding Diwali, to mixed reviews from critics and audience, praising its first half, visuals, performances (especially Pradeep, Mamitha & Sarathkumar) and Sai Abhayankar's music. However, the film received widespread criticism for the second half and handling of the story.

Plot

Agan and Kural, are cousins who share a close bond and run an event-planning collective called Surprise Dude, which organizes surprises for occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, and proposals. Their friendship is warm and playful until Kural unexpectedly confesses her love for Agan. Startled by the proposal, Agan rejects her, claiming he sees her only as friend & part of his family. However, after some time apart, Agan realizes he loves her as well and decides to confess his feelings.

Seeking approval, Agan visits Kural’s father, Athiyamaan, a powerful minister. To Agan’s surprise, Athiyamaan immediately accepts the proposal and begins making arrangements for the marriage. However, things take a turn when Kural reveals she has fallen in love with another man, Paari, who belongs to a different caste. Athiyamaan strongly opposes the relationship, revealing that he once killed his own younger sister for marrying outside the caste—a crime he concealed to protect his political reputation. When Kural’s relationship with Paari threatens to expose his past, Athiyamaan retracts his confession in public, dismissing it as one of Agan’s pranks to maintain his image.

On the day of the wedding reception, Paari attempts to elope with Kural with help of Agan but they cancelled their plan by seeing Athiyaman's political power all over India. Since Paari lacks a passport, their attempt to flee abroad fails, forcing them to fake the marriage. Afterwards, Agan tries to help Kural and Paari escape to Thailand, but the plan collapses when immigration officers demand return tickets. With help from Agan’s ex-girlfriend and her husband, the couple attempt a new plan to emigrate to Canada. Paari’s visa is approved, but Kural’s is rejected when it is discovered she is pregnant.

Desperate to continue their escape, Agan suggests abortion, despite Kural’s resistance. A gynecologist warns that Kural’s uterus is weak and that abortion could cause future miscarriages. Agan withdraws his suggestion, but Kural insists on proceeding. When Agan threatens to reveal everything to Athiyamaan, Kural reluctantly abandons the idea. She gives birth to a baby boy with six fingers. Agan, still devoted to her, poses as the child’s father to handle official paperwork and care for the infant.

On the night of Kural’s rescheduled departure, Agan’s friend reveals that Agan had always loved Kural but stepped back when she confessed her love for Paari. The revelation moves Kural deeply. During the ride to the airport, she confronts Agan and promises to find him a wife before leaving. She files for divorce and begins searching for matches for him through matrimonial websites and dating apps, but every attempt fails. Determined to fulfill his promise to send her abroad, Agan enlists a female colleague, Samyuktha, to pretend to be his girlfriend, which helps finalize the travel paperwork.

Athiyamaan eventually discovers that Kural and Agan have divorced and summons Kural. When she arrives, he confronts her about the separation. Agan intervenes, taking full responsibility for the divorce and claiming he intends to remarry. Infuriated at being publicly embarrassed, Athiyamaan assaults Agan and orders his men to kill him. When Kural learns of this, she confesses everything to her father, who, enraged, kidnaps her son with the intent to kill him. Agan rushes to save the boy. In a remote area, just as Athiyamaan is about to commit the act, he suffers a heart attack and collapses. The child manages to save him by calling for help.

When Athiyamaan regains consciousness in the hospital, Agan tells him that the child’s actions saved his life. The incident softens Athiyamaan’s heart and forces him to reconsider his beliefs. It is later revealed that the rescue was actually staged by Agan and the boy as part of a plan to help Athiyamaan confront his guilt. Realizing the magnitude of his crimes, Athiyamaan publicly confesses to the murder of his sister and is imprisoned.

In the post-credits sequence, Agan’s mother surprises him. She reveals that Agan and his colleague Samyuktha, who had once pretended to be his girlfriend, have genuinely fallen in love, and their marriage has been arranged. The film ends with Agan finding closure in love and Athiyamaan finally redeemed through truth.

Cast

Production

Development

In early 2024, Keerthiswaran, a former assistant director of Sudha Kongara, approached producers Y. Ravi Shankar and Naveen Yerneni of Mythri Movie Makers with the script for his directorial debut. Impressed by the narrative, the producers agreed to back the project. Following the confirmation of Mythri Movie Makers as the production house, Keerthiswaran offered the lead role to Pradeep Ranganathan. Although Pradeep initially declined the offer, citing concerns that certain portions of the script might affect his public image, in a comedic way, he later agreed to sign on to the project after being personally approached by the producers. [4] [5] The project would mark Mythri's second Tamil production after the Ajith Kumar-starrer Good Bad Ugly (2025). [6]

Netflix confirmed the project in January 2025 during "Netflix Pandigai", where they reveal the list of Tamil films which would be released in the streaming platform after the theatrical release, with this project being a part of the list. [7] Mythri Movie Makers made a public announcement on 26 March 2025, confirming the project once again, tentatively titled PR 04. [8] The technical team consists of music composer Sai Abhyankkar, cinematographer Niketh Bommi, editor Barath Vikraman, and costume designer Poornima Ramasamy. [9] Latha Naidu was the production designer of the film. [10] The official title Dude was announced on 10 May 2025. [11]

Casting and filming

Malayalam actress Mamitha Baiju was cast as the lead actress after the director was impressed with her performance in Super Sharanya . [12] Principal photography began with an inaugural puja ceremony held on 26 March 2025 with the presence of the film's cast and crew at a film city in Chennai. [13] Filming wrapped by late-June. [14]

Music

Dude
Soundtrack album by
Released25 September 2025
StudioYOLO Records, Chennai
Sai Dhwani Studios, Hyderabad
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Language Tamil
Label Think Music
Producer Sai Abhyankkar
Sai Abhyankkar chronology
Balti
(2025)
Dude
(2025)
Karuppu
(2025)
Singles from Dude
  1. "Oorum Blood"
    Released: 28 August 2025
  2. "Nallaru Po"
    Released: 19 September 2025
  3. "Singari"
    Released: 4 October 2025
  4. "Kannukulla"
    Released: 15 October 2025

The soundtrack is composed by Sai Abhyankkar. [15] The audio rights were acquired by Think Music. "Blud Is On His Way" was the track that was used for the announcement video of the film, which was released on 26 March 2025. [16] The first single "Oorum Blood" was released on 28 August 2025. [17] An unplugged version of the song was released a week later, on 2 September. [18] The second single "Nallaru Po" was released on 19 September. [19] The third single "Singari", Pradeep's debut as a playback singer, was released on 4 October. [20] The fourth single "Kannukulla" was released on 15 October 2025. [21]

Track listing

Tamil
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Blud Is On His Way" (Instrumental)--1:18
2."Oorum Blood" Paal Dabba Sai Abhyankkar, Deepthi Suresh, Bebhumika, Paal Dabba 4:00
3."Oorum Blood" (Unplugged)Paal DabbaSai Abhyankkar1:18
4."Nallaru Po" Vivek Tippu, Mohit Chauhan, Sai Abhyankkar3:56
5."Singari"Sanjay Semvi Pradeep Ranganathan, Sai Abhyankkar, Sai Smriti, The Indian Choral Ensemble3:28
6."Trailer Blast"-Sai Abhyankkar2:41
7."Kannukulla"Adesh KrishnaSai Abhyankkar, Jonita Gandhi, Arjun4:33
Telugu
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Blud Is On His Way"-Instrumental1:18
2."Boom Boom"Sanapati Bharadwaj Patrudu Sai Abhyankkar, Deepthi Suresh, Bebhumika4:00
3."Baagundu Po" Ramajogayya Sastry Sanjith Hegde, Sai Abhyankkar3:56
4."Singari"Ramajogayya SastrySai Abhyankkar, Sai Smriti, The Indian Choral Ensemble3:28
5."Trailer Blast"-Sai Abhyankkar2:41

Release

Theatrical

Dude was released theatrically on 17 October 2025, during Diwali, and clashing with Bison Kaalamaadan and Diesel . [22] [23]

Distribution

Romeo Pictures initially acquired the rights for Tamil Nadu, but stepped out of the project due to unknown reasons. AGS Entertainment later acquired the theatrical rights, marking their third collaboration with Pradeep after Love Today (2022) and Dragon (2025). [24] [25] The overseas distribution rights were bought by Prathyangira Cinemas. [26]

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights were reportedly acquired by Netflix for 25 crore (US$3.0 million) and [27] satellite rights were purchased by Zee Tamil and Zee Thirai.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Critical response

Dude received mixed reviews from critics. [28]

Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dude is a confident debut film. Even though it may not get a lot of things right, the film makes you curious about what its director is going to make next." [29] Janani K of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "'Dude' is a fun-filled film that works best when it embraces its absurdity rather than preach. It delivers exactly what it promises – a fun, eccentric romance with moments of genuine hilarity. " [30] Neeshita Nyayapati of Hindustan Times gave 3/5 stars and wrote "If you liked Pradeep’s previous films Love Today (2022) and Dragon (2025), or Mamitha’s Premalu (2024), it’s more than likely that you will like Dude. [...] It doesn’t hurt that their chemistry crackles when they’re together on-screen. Dude might not top any of the previously mentioned work of these actors when it comes to the writing, but it’s definitely a good addition to their filmography." [31]

Arjun Menon of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju-starrer Dude is ultimately a one-time watch, a film that starts off with breezy fun but loses its charm in a meandering, uneven second half." [32] Prashanth Vallavan of Cinema Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Dude has a wacky infectious energy, and uses it to make hard-hitting commentary on social themes, but fails to leave a lasting impact." [33] Anusha Sundar of OTT Play gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju's film, which undeniably falls under both romantic entertainer and social drama categories, gets saved by some smart performances and onscreen execution. [...] With some evident flaws and noble intentions, Dude strives to be an entertainer which it achieves to an extent." [34]

Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Hindu worte "While Pradeep scores not only in the humour part but also in the emotional sequences, Mamitha displays a range of expressions, especially when she is caught in a tug-of-war like situation during a wedding. [...] Where Dude misses out unlike Pradeep’s previous hit, Dragon, directed by Ashwath Marimuthu, or even Love Today, is its writing of the characters other than the protagonists." [35] [36] [37]

Box office

In India, Dude was released alongside Bison and Diesel. It opened to 11 crore (US$1.3 million) domestically, with 4 crore (US$470,000) from Telugu states, becoming the highest opening among the releases. [38] Worldwide, the film collected 22 crore (US$2.6 million), emerging as the highest opening for Pradeep. [39]

References

  1. "Dude". Central Board of Film Certification . Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  2. "'Dude' box office collection pre-release update: Pradeep Ranganathan-starrer recovers budget with massive OTT deal". The Week . 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  3. "Dude Box Office Collection Day 3: Pradeep Ranganathan's film fails to beat Dragon On 1st Sunday despite being steady". Filmibeat . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  4. "Pradeep Ranganathan reveals rejecting Dude "a couple of times": 'The main crux of the story was a shocker...'". Cinema Express . 8 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  5. "Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju to collaborate on a new Tamil film by Keerthiswaran". The Times of India . 29 May 2024. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  6. Sekhar, Vineela (25 July 2024). "Is Mamitha Baiju Teaming Up with Pradeep Ranganathan for Her Telugu Debut?". The Hans India . Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  7. Joy, Prathibha (15 January 2025). "Netflix reveals its 2025 slate of Tamil films – Ajith Kumar's Good Bad Ugly, Suriya's Retro to Kamal Haasan's Thug Life". OTTPlay . Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  8. Sundar, Anusha (26 March 2025). "PR 04 OTT partner locked: Where to stream Pradeep Ranganathan, Mamitha Baiju's film with Pushpa producers after its theatrical run". OTTPlay . Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  9. Kumar, Akshay (25 March 2025). "Pradeep Ranganathan announces his next". Cinema Express . Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  10. "Pradeep Ranganathan's Dude Promises A Diwali Packed With Emotion And Action". Filmfare . 10 May 2025. Archived from the original on 11 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  11. "'PR04': Pradeep Ranganathan's next, co-starring Mamitha Baiju, titled 'Dude'; first look out". The Hindu . 11 May 2025. Archived from the original on 11 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  12. "Director Keerthiswaran on his debut Dude: 'I wrote the film with Rajinikanth in mind…'". Cinema Express. 5 October 2025. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  13. Sundar, Anusha (26 March 2025). "PR 04: Pradeep Ranganathan's film with Good Bad Ugly makers goes on floors | Video out". OTTPlay . Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  14. "Pradeep Ranganathan plans to return to direction; A sci-fi film after 'Dude' pre-production in progress". The Times of India . 27 June 2025. Archived from the original on 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  15. "பிரதீப் ரங்கநாதன், மமிதா பைஜு நடிக்கவுள்ள படத்தின் அப்டேட்". Dina Thanthi (in Tamil). 25 March 2025. Archived from the original on 2 June 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  16. "Blud Is On His Way (From "PR04") – Single". Apple Music . 26 March 2025. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  17. "Dude first single 'Oorum Blood' is a peppy dance number from Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju". Cinema Express . 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  18. "Sai Abhyankkar unveils unplugged version of 'Oorum Blood' from Dude amidst mixed response for song". Cinema Express . 2 September 2025. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  19. "Dude second single Nallaru Po: After Oorum Blood, Sai Abhyankkar comes up with love failure song for Pradeep Ranganathan". OTTPlay . 18 September 2025. Archived from the original on 1 October 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  20. "Dude third single 'Singari' is a peppy romantic number in Pradeep Ranganathan's vocals". Cinema Express . 4 October 2025. Archived from the original on 4 October 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  21. "இன்று மாலை வெளியாகும் 'கண்ணுக்குள்ள' பாடல்: டியூட் பட புகைப்படங்களை பகிர்ந்த இயக்குநர்" [The song "Kannukkulla" releases today evening: Dude director shares stills from the film]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 15 October 2025. Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  22. "It's officially Dude vs LIK for Diwali; Pradeep Ranganathan to have two releases on the same day". Cinema Express . 1 October 2025. Archived from the original on 1 October 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  23. "Harish-starrer Diesel joins Deepavali race". DT Next . 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  24. "பிரதீப் ரங்கநாதனின் 'டியூட்' படத்தில் கெஸ்ட் ரோலில் சிவகார்த்திகேயன்!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 25 July 2025. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  25. "பிரதீப் ரங்கநாதனின் "டியூட்" படத்தின் திரையரங்க வெளியீட்டு உரிமையை பெற்ற பிரபல நிறுவனம்". Dina Thanthi (in Tamil). 4 October 2025. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  26. Prathyangira Cinemas [@prathyangiraus] (1 June 2025). "Vanakkam Nanba & Nanbis 😎Indha Deepavali... theatre-la oru most exploding entertainer cracker ready aa irukku 💥💥@PrathyangiraUS's Next one is #DUDE 🔥" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025 via Twitter.
  27. "Netflix picks up Pradeep Ranganathan's Dude for a whopping number, details inside". Cinema Express . 7 July 2025. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  28. "'Dude' box office collection day 1: Pradeep Ranganathan starrer outshines his previous hit 'Dragon' with strong opening, mints Rs 10 crore". The Times of India. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  29. "Dude Movie Review: A lively film that blends mass and meaning". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  30. K, Janani (17 October 2025). "Dude Review: Pradeep Ranganathan's eccentric charm keeps the fun rolling". India Today. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  31. "Dude movie review: Pradeep Ranganathan, Mamitha Baiju film explores old conflict with new solution". Hindustan Times. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  32. "Dude movie review: Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju save this uneven entertainer". The Indian Express. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  33. Vallavan, Prashanth (17 October 2025). "Dude Movie Review: Heart in the right place, everything else misplaced". Cinema Express. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  34. "Dude movie review: Pradeep Ranganathan-Mamitha Baiju film is fun and flawed". OTTPlay. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  35. Ramanujam, Srinivasa (17 October 2025). "'Dude' movie review: Pradeep Ranganathan's goofiness powers this Gen-Z love tale". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  36. Menon, Vishal (17 October 2025). "'Dude' Movie Review: Pradeep Ranganathan Shouts Through a Loud, Crass Soup Boy Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter India . Archived from the original on 17 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  37. S, Rajasekar (17 October 2025). "Dude review: Sarathkumar steals the show in Pradeep Ranganathan starrer". The Federal . Archived from the original on 17 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  38. பிரிவு, இணையதளச் செய்திப் (2 October 2025). "பைசன், டியூட், டீசல் முதல்நாள் வசூல்... தீபாவளி வெற்றியாளர் யார்?". Dinamani (in Tamil). Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  39. தினத்தந்தி (19 October 2025). "box office collection day 2 - 'Dude' collected more on the second day than the first day | முதல் நாளை விட 2-வது நாளில் அதிகம் வசூலித்த 'டியூட்'...எவ்வளவு தெரியுமா?". Daily Thanthi (in Tamil). Retrieved 19 October 2025.