Amara Premi Arun Movie Review: A nostalgic love letter to old-school romance
Amara Premi Arun(3 / 5)
Amara Premi Arun takes us back to a time when love wasn't about swiping right but about scribbling FLAMES on the last page of a notebook. In an age dominated by dating apps, this film is a gentle throwback to first crushes—the kind that never quite fade, even as the years roll on.
Cast: Harisharvaa, Deepika Aradhya, Dharmana Kadur, and Krithi Bhat
Director: Praveen Kumar G
Arun (Harisharvaa) is our everyman romantic: brooding, sincere, and wholly devoted to a love that might not even exist anymore. His muse is Kavya (Deepika Aradhya), the girl from his school days who lives on not just in his memories, but in his very purpose. She isn’t just someone he once liked—she’s the one. The only problem? He hasn’t seen her in years, and all he has is a name, a memory, and an address: Kavya, c/o Kari Basappa.
At a marriageable age and under pressure from his family, Arun’s journey is less a quest and more a quiet pilgrimage. He isn’t chasing love as much as he is chasing closure, and perhaps a dream that refuses to die. His stops along the way—bus stops, post offices, and his childhood memories with Kavya—are simple, everyday places. Even her favourite dish, uppitu, holds a special place in his mind. Along for the ride is Seena (Dharmanna Kadur), his best friend and unofficial love consultant. Quirky but wise, Seena shares surprisingly sound advice—like telling young lovers to ditch their cell phones while eloping and hold onto their hearts instead.
Director Praveen Kumar moves at an unhurried pace and resists the urge to dramatise unnecessarily. Every place Arun visits—a bus stop, a post office, or his old school—feels soaked in memory. The backdrop of Ballari, with its mentions of uppittu, masala dose, and Harpanahalli Primary School, adds strong regional flavor and cultural depth.
But love, as the film reminds us, has its own timing. The story takes a turn when a mutual school friend gives Arun a glimmer of hope—Kavya’s phone number. That sets him back on the path. But when Arun arrives at the address, another twist awaits: Kavya has been missing for three months. Her family is searching for her too, and Arun is left with more questions.
In the second half, we meet Vinod—the man for whom Kavya left everything. Not Arun. Her sacrifice wasn’t for her childhood crush but for someone else entirely. Arun learns that even the purest intentions can be one-sided. What follows is the emotional core of the film: will Arun let go, or will he keep chasing a love that was never truly his?
Praveen Kumar makes one thing clear: love isn’t always about getting the person—it’s sometimes about letting go. In the end, the film asks: is love about who you fell for first, or who walks with you when everything else fades?
While the story doesn’t break new ground, it is filled with sincerity. With a limited cast—mixing fresh faces and experienced actors—the film unfolds like a gentle memory. There’s no melodrama, no edge-of-the-seat tension, and yet it is close to emotion. Even the conversations between the boy and the girl feel honest and real. The characters of Arun and Kavya played by Harisharva, and Deepika Aradhya doesn’t come across as cinematic or larger-than-life; instead, they make it feel like someone who could exist in any ordinary person’s life. This is a story that doesn’t shout—it simply exists, but quietly exploring one man’s love for a memory.
Kiran Ravindranath’s music echoes the love ballads, with songs that gently support the film’s mood. Praveen S’s cinematography and Manu Shedgar’s editing also fit the tone.
Yes, it’s a story that’s been told before. But maybe that’s exactly the point. The heart never gets tired of old tales—it simply hopes to find itself in them again, or perhaps discover something new. And maybe, love that starts with FLAMES —whether or not it ends in marriage—proves one thing: old flames never die.