Premam hit the screens on Friday, May 29, 2015.
Directed by Alphonse Puthren, it was not only a box office success — it was a cinematic magic. A memory that refuses to fade, even nearly a decade later. After all, Alphonse and Nivin had already created a buzz with Neram.
Premam wasn’t just one love story it was three. What it truly captured were the many shades of youth: the awkwardness, the crushes, the heartbreaks, re-awakenings, and the kind of love that endures quietly in the end.
“The fundamental nature of love remains the same, but our way of thinking changes,” reflects film critic Subash Babu.
“That old-age romance where a boy goes behind a girl on a cycle convincing her to say yes will not be accepted by the audience anymore. Today, the character of George might be seen as a stalker,” he noted.
Yet, back then, George was a phenomenon.
As for the songs, the Aluva Puzha number echoed across bus stops and late-night drives in those days. So as well, Malare... Rockankuthu wasn’t just performed it was danced at every college fest, every wedding sangeet and every cultural event.
Even the rap sequence after George’s heartbreak Scene Contra made its way into scribbled rough book pages and impromptu classroom performances. It was common to see students pulling it out from memory as if it were part of a shared script. And perhaps, it was.
Who could forget Mary? Anupama Parameswaran’s debut with her eyes wide with innocence and honeycomb curls which left a lasting imprint on screen. Her brief love story with George (Nivin Pauly), set against the backdrop of the Aluva river and immortalised through Aluva Puzha, became every teenager’s first brush with cinematic romance.
And then came college George 2.0 with his thick beard and that now-legendary black kurta and white mundu ensemble. Nivin Pauly didn’t just play George; he became every college boy’s alter ego and every college girl’s heartthrob. It was pure swag, Kerala-style. Suddenly, every campus had its own George.
Then, enter Malar Miss Sai Pallavi with her no-makeup, unfiltered charm and skin that showed realness, not polish. In her quiet presence was beauty. Her pimples became pride, her smile a national crush. The choreography of Rockankuthu wasn’t just replicated it was ritualised.
“My personal favourite phase of Nivin Pauly in Premam is the second one when he had a crush on Malar Miss,” says Subash Babu. “It showed an intense phase of George’s character. Premam is still a movie I would watch.”
And finally came Celine the calm after George’s storm. Madonna Sebastian’s soft grace brought closure to a story that had us laughing, crying, and reminiscing all at once. That cake-tasting scene simple, yet soul-stirring became a timestamp of closure, of grown-up love, of second chances.
“When the last tragedy of George comes with Malar Miss, one might think is this going the traditional way? But then he falls in love again with Celine. That arc changed everything,” Subash Babu points out.
Ten years on, Premam still pulses through playlists, fashion trends, Instagram captions, and nostalgic conversations. It’s not just that the film captured love at three different stages it’s that it captured us. Our awkward teens, our rebellious twenties, and our reluctant acceptance of adulthood.
“Most scenes in Premam are natural, it’s very raw. It’s breezy writing. The jokes are what happen in our day-to-day life,” explains Subash Babu. “Alphonse Puthren has packaged it beautifully. One major thought was why is this movie this long? If you gave it to a traditional commercial editor, they’d trim what doesn’t ‘work’. But here, Alphonse Puthren himself edited it. That’s what made the difference.” "For every situation, he placed a song. And all the songs are beautifully picturised. The dialogues everything have become part of a cult following. Premam was a trendsetter. The way it brought youth to screen with such authenticity… How a normal infatuation unfolds it all felt real. The timing of the release was also key.”
On Instagram, Nivin Pauly’s recent post with rare behind-the-scenes memories perfectly summed it up:
“#10YearsOfPremam Here’s to the magic of @alphonseputhren, the memories we’ve created, and the everlasting impact of Premam. Let’s continue to celebrate love, friendship, and the beauty of cinema for many more years to come! To all those who embraced George, thank you for making him a part of your lives.”
Premam was not just about George or Mary or Malar or Celine. It was about us and the love stories we carry quietly, eternally.
“The beauty of Premam is that it’s not a perfectly shot or edited movie. It has a raw feeling—it has rough edges. And there’s beauty in that,” Subash Babu signs off.