# Premam (2016 film)
**Premam** (ప్రేమమ్) is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy-drama directed by [Chandoo Mondeti](https://www.edgepedia.org/chandoo-mondeti), the official remake of [Alphonse Puthren](https://www.edgepedia.org/alphonse-puthren)'s 2015 Malayalam film of the same name. It stars [Naga Chaitanya](https://www.edgepedia.org/naga-chaitanya) as Vikram, a man who falls in love with three different women at three stages of his life, alongside Shruti Haasan, Anupama Parameswaran, and Madonna Sebastian. The film was released on 7 October 2016, the Dussehra weekend, with a U/A certificate from the Censor Board and no cuts.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/premam-gets-censor-board-nod-to-release-on-october-7-with-ua-certificate-3060968/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 7 October 2016, Dussehra weekend, U/A certificate with no cuts[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/premam-gets-censor-board-nod-to-release-on-october-7-with-ua-certificate-3060968/) |
| Director / writer | Chandoo Mondeti, adapting the original script by Alphonse Puthren[2](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2016/Oct/07/premam-review-second-half-saves-the-film-1525947.html) |
| Cast | Naga Chaitanya, Shruti Haasan, Anupama Parameswaran, Madonna Sebastian[3](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/premam-telugu-movie-naga-chaitanya-live-updates-audience-review.html) |
| Music | Gopi Sunder and Rajesh Murugesan; cinematography by Karthik Ghattamaneni[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/telugu-movies/premam-telugu/premam-telugu-songs-review.html) |
| Production | Suryadevara Naga Vamsi, Sithara Entertainments[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/premam-gets-censor-board-nod-to-release-on-october-7-with-ua-certificate-3060968/) |
| Runtime | 2 hours 16 minutes per Rotten Tomatoes; The Numbers lists 157 minutes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/premam) • [6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Premam-%28India%29) |
| Box office | $831,847 worldwide, of which $825,602 was domestic (United States)[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Premam-%28India%29) |
## Spoilers
### Story
The film follows Vikram (Naga Chaitanya) through three stages of his life. As a teenager in Tadepalligudam he falls for his neighbor Suma ([Anupama Parameswaran](https://www.edgepedia.org/anupama-parameswaran)), a courtship conducted through letters, flowers, and poems, which ends in heartbreak when she introduces her boyfriend.[2](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2016/Oct/07/premam-review-second-half-saves-the-film-1525947.html) While studying engineering in 2005 he falls in love with his lecturer Sithara ([Shruti Haasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shruti-haasan)), who returns his feelings, but an unfortunate incident during her visit to her hometown ends that relationship.[7](https://telugucinema.com/reviews/premam-movie-review) In the present-day stage of 2015, Vikram is a successful hotelier and chef who falls for Sindhu ([Madonna Sebastian](https://www.edgepedia.org/madonna-sebastian)); the question of whether he finally finds lasting love, and with whom, forms the resolution.[7](https://telugucinema.com/reviews/premam-movie-review) • [8](https://www.mytelangana.com/movie-reviews/2886/premam-review-rating)
## Production and adaptation choices
Chandoo Mondeti, whose debut *Karthikeya* (2014) had made his name, took on the remake after Naga Chaitanya watched and loved the Malayalam original; within a week of Mondeti discussing the film with him, Chaitanya was flooded with offers to star in the remake.[9](https://www.telugu360.com/premam-director-chandoo-mondeti-interview/) Suryadevara Naga Vamsi had bagged the remake rights and produced the film on the [Sithara Entertainments](https://www.edgepedia.org/sithara-entertainments) banner.[10](https://telugucinema.com/news/premam-remake-be-launched-shortly)
**Adaptation, not duplication.** The makers repeatedly stated that the aim was not to better the original. "The soul of the Malayalam movie was taken and changed a bit to match with the Telugu sensibilities so that our audience can enjoy the movie," Chaitanya said before release.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/premam-gets-censor-board-nod-to-release-on-october-7-with-ua-certificate-3060968/) The Malayalam *[Premam](https://www.edgepedia.org/premam)* was itself a tribute to nearly 30 popular Malayalam classics, with references to costumes, dialogues, and music; Mondeti rewrote those tribute scenes using references from popular Telugu films to bring in Telugu nativity.[9](https://www.telugu360.com/premam-director-chandoo-mondeti-interview/) Character names and backgrounds were also changed, and only the basic plot was taken from the original.[3](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/premam-telugu-movie-naga-chaitanya-live-updates-audience-review.html)
**Casting.** Anupama Parameswaran and Madonna Sebastian reprised their roles from the Malayalam version, while Shruti Haasan took over the role played by [Sai Pallavi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sai-pallavi), the teacher Malar.[3](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/premam-telugu-movie-naga-chaitanya-live-updates-audience-review.html) Mondeti said a star heroine was needed commercially to pull crowds, and that Shruti Haasan's screen presence justified her casting.[9](https://www.telugu360.com/premam-director-chandoo-mondeti-interview/) The title was retained after the team found that "Premam" is a Sanskrit word meaning love; an alternative title, *Majnu*, was rejected because distributors feared audiences would take it for a tragic love story.[9](https://www.telugu360.com/premam-director-chandoo-mondeti-interview/)
**Runtime.** Chaitanya explained the pacing choice: Malayalam audiences like lengthy, slow-paced narration, while Telugu audiences prefer a crisp runtime, so the team targeted about 2 hours 15 minutes.[11](https://telugucinema.com/interviews/chaitanya-i-relived-my-experiences-love-premam)
## Reception
The film opened on the Dussehra weekend against three other Telugu releases, Abhinetri, Mana Oori Ramayanam, and Edu Gold Ehe.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/premam-gets-censor-board-nod-to-release-on-october-7-with-ua-certificate-3060968/) Its trailer had already registered more than 2 million views on YouTube, though the songs and trailer drew trolling on social media, with Chaitanya and Shruti Haasan both targeted before release.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/premam-gets-censor-board-nod-to-release-on-october-7-with-ua-certificate-3060968/) • [3](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/premam-telugu-movie-naga-chaitanya-live-updates-audience-review.html)
Critics rated the film moderately. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) gave 3 out of 5, judging that despite cameos by Venkatesh and [Nagarjuna](https://www.edgepedia.org/nagarjuna) the film "fails to match up to Premam's Malayalam version."[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/movie-review/premam-movie-review-naga-chaitanya-shruti-haasan-star-rating-3070747/) The Times of India gave 3.5/5, writing that Mondeti had moved Chaitanya "from the status of star son to the position of a star in his own right."[13](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/premam/movie-review/54735741.cms) 123telugu also gave 3.5/5, and MyTelangana 3.25/5, praising Chaitanya's performance across three looks and the music, while noting that viewers who compared it with the Malayalam version would find several important scenes off track.[14](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/premam-telugu-movie-review.html) • [8](https://www.mytelangana.com/movie-reviews/2886/premam-review-rating) The New Indian Express review was titled "Second half saves the film," finding the first half deficient in pace until the intermission but praising the later portions with Madonna Sebastian.[2](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2016/Oct/07/premam-review-second-half-saves-the-film-1525947.html)
## Box office
In the tracked United States market, the film earned $825,602 domestically and $6,245 internationally, for a worldwide total of $831,847, with an opening weekend of $448,129 across 112 theaters.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Premam-%28India%29) A Telugu industry retrospective published in November 2016 recorded that the Naga Chaitanya and Shruti Haasan starrer "went on to become a hit."[15](https://apnewslive.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AP-Eng-Mag-Nov-Issue-WEB-ilovepdf-compressed.pdf)
## Legacy
The remake arrived while the Malayalam original was still fresh in public memory, and comparisons dominated its reception; the film's team consistently framed it as an adaptation for viewers who had not seen the original.[9](https://www.telugu360.com/premam-director-chandoo-mondeti-interview/) The film has since been available for streaming in India on Amazon Prime Video.[16](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/409255/premam)
## References
1. [Premam gets censor board nod, to release on October 7 with U/A certificate, The Indian Express (2 October 2016)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/premam-gets-censor-board-nod-to-release-on-october-7-with-ua-certificate-3060968/)
2. ['Premam' Review: Second half saves the film, The New Indian Express (8 October 2016)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2016/Oct/07/premam-review-second-half-saves-the-film-1525947.html)
3. ['Premam' Telugu movie: audience review of Naga Chaitanya starrer, Onmanorama (7 October 2016)](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/premam-telugu-movie-naga-chaitanya-live-updates-audience-review.html)
4. [Premam Telugu songs review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/telugu-movies/premam-telugu/premam-telugu-songs-review.html)
5. [Premam (2016), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/premam)
6. [Premam (2016) Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Premam-%28India%29)
7. [Premam – Movie Review, TeluguCinema.com (7 October 2016)](https://telugucinema.com/reviews/premam-movie-review)
8. [Premam review & rating, MyTelangana.com (6 October 2016)](https://www.mytelangana.com/movie-reviews/2886/premam-review-rating)
9. [Chandoo Mondeti Interview – Premam is an honest film, Telugu360 (5 October 2016)](https://www.telugu360.com/premam-director-chandoo-mondeti-interview/)
10. [Premam remake to be launched shortly, TeluguCinema.com (21 September 2015)](https://telugucinema.com/news/premam-remake-be-launched-shortly)
11. [Chaitanya: I relived my experiences with love in Premam, TeluguCinema.com (5 October 2016)](https://telugucinema.com/interviews/chaitanya-i-relived-my-experiences-love-premam)
12. [Premam movie review: Naga Chaitanya pumps up flavour, can't match up to original, The Indian Express (7 October 2016)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/movie-review/premam-movie-review-naga-chaitanya-shruti-haasan-star-rating-3070747/)
13. [Premam Movie Review {3.5/5}: Critic Review of Premam by Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/premam/movie-review/54735741.cms)
14. [Review: Premam – Beautiful tale of love, 123telugu.com (8 October 2016)](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/premam-telugu-movie-review.html)
15. [AP English Magazine, November 2016 issue](https://apnewslive.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AP-Eng-Mag-Nov-Issue-WEB-ilovepdf-compressed.pdf)
16. [Where to watch Premam (2016) in India, OTTASIA](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/409255/premam)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Telugu films of the 2010s › Telugu films of 2014–2016*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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