- Premalu, a 2024 Malayalam romantic comedy, was widely appreciated by audiences nationwide
- The film starred Naslen and Mamitha Baiju in lead roles and succeeded on OTT platform JioHotstar
- Premalu has been removed from JioHotstar ahead of the Hindi remake Prem Keetanu's release
The Malayalam film Premalu, which was released in theatres in 2024, received immense love and appreciation from audiences across the country. Starring Naslen and Mamitha Baiju in the lead roles, the romantic comedy emerged as one of the biggest Malayalam success stories of the year and later found a wider audience through its OTT release on JioHotstar.
However, months ahead of the release of its Hindi adaptation, Prem Keetanu, featuring Veer Pahariya, Aparshakti Khurana, and Aafiya Sayed, the original film appears to have been removed from the platform. The teaser of Prem Keetanu was recently unveiled and it has sparked criticism from a section of viewers.
Many social media users have expressed disappointment not only over the remake but also over the reported removal of Premalu from OTT, with several arguing that the original film should remain easily accessible to audiences.
How they reacted
While some questioned the need for a remake of a film that is still fresh in public memory, others were particularly upset about Premalu allegedly being taken down from streaming ahead of the Hindi adaptation's release.
"What a dumb and poor decision. Even the casting for this."
"Premalu has been removed from Hotstar. @BhavanaStudios get the film back on some other OTT platform ASAP, please," wrote another user.
Premalu has been removed from Hotstar. @BhavanaStudios get the film back to some other OTT platform ASAP pls๐ญ
โ Nandan (@__nndn__) August 16, 2026
Prem Keetanu is set to release in theatres on October 2.