Writer-director Tony Deori Basumatary’s Prem XL (2026) is a stylistically imagined and refreshingly designed urban romantic comedy that is dazed and glazed in the gleeful mellows of teenage life.

The plot is thin and meagre but goes on for more than two hours. In these two hours, there’s young love, humour, heartbreak and a few romantic songs in between. But amidst all its youthful exuberance, the film offers pleasures that are modest but not without their charm.

The story begins with Mihir and his family as he returns to Assam after failing to complete his higher studies in Delhi. As he prepares for the next step of life, he befriends Diya, a paying guest in his mother’s PG.

They meet frequently and very soon love blossoms between the two, only for Mihir to learn later that Diya is actually planning to leave Assam forever.

Debutant director Tony Deori Basumatary holds on to the vacuum for a while before managing to pace the action in livelier terms. As a result, the second half feels reasonably well maintained even as it continues to be defined by its limitations of a story about young love.

The narrative thrives in the in-between spaces of a punchy and raw approach while also sharing a share in the pre-arranged and staged outlook of its drama. The outcome, hence, calls for a real resonance of its emotional impulses but also consciously drifts along the performative nature of its treatment.

The emotional touches are sincere and well-mounted, which gives the film its genuine warmth. In fact, it corners some of the most unappealing and uninteresting moments in the story.

For instance, one of the prime highlights of the story’s emotional arc is the ability of the writer to focus on the inability of the characters to decide what they want out of life. This is a plague for the new generation – always so much around yet so unsure about themselves.

Mihir is divided about his career, just like Diya ends up confused about her future. Meanwhile, Dhriti wants neither Rocket Singh nor Kabir Singh but only someone in between as her life partner.

The romance between Mihir and Diya, too, is carefully handled, but there are times when the film does feel formula-bound. This happens when the supporting characters lean on the familiar beats of a story instead of breaking away from it.

Biki does what a sidekick would do in any situation, and Dhriti dates only to separate. It’s no surprise that she wanted to call off her wedding after purposefully rushing into it. Still, there is an easygoing charm in the film, especially in the way it captures the awkwardness and silliness of being young and in love.

Moreover, there is also something familiar about the character of Mihir — the feeling of being stuck and unsure of what to do next.

He is a prisoner of his parents’ ambitions, but most importantly, he also shares the burden of being a prisoner of himself — his thoughts, his hesitations and his inability to act on them. This amusing goofiness and the silence of Mihir are brought out well by debutant Sanjib Kalita, who gives the character a qualitative sense of innocence.

There is something endearing about the way Mihir stumbles through his own feelings, as if even falling in love is another thing that he hasn’t quite figured out.

Anisha Hazarika as Diya also pairs well with the silliness and emotional gravity of Mihir. Mridupawan Parashar as Biki is good and worth a few laughs, and the majority of the other teenage cast members are also character-perfect.

Apart from this, there isn’t much sophistication here, but Prem XL remains a moderately enjoyable romp. Its pleasures are simple, sometimes even slight, but there is enough playful warmth to keep the film afloat.

Also Read: Why does a church hospital get special rates under a public scheme in Mizoram?

Kalpa Jyoti Bhuyan
Reporter, EastMojo

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