Prem Keetanu opens in theatres today, and with it, the question that’s been circling since the teaser dropped: is this a remake? The answer, from Koimoi’s review, is a resounding yes — even if Veer Pahariya insists otherwise. The film, set in Delhi and billed as a reimagining of the Malayalam hit Premalu, follows Vishal Thakur (Pahariya), a college dropout chasing a visa to the US, who stumbles into love with Suhani (Aafiya Sayed) after meeting her at work. The plot beats are identical. The emotional arc? Unconvincing. The script? A patchwork of scenes stitched together without rhythm or logic. Even the music, which appears as dreamy transitions, feels like an interruption rather than a moment. The film’s biggest misstep isn’t its origin, it’s the attempt to not be a remake. By changing how the characters connect, the story loses its emotional anchor. Suhani, supposedly sharp and independent, acts like she’s blind to social cues. She rides a bike across states with no helmet, offers to fund a visa, and still asks, ‘What signals did I give?’ when proposed to. That line lands not as romance, but as narrative betrayal. Aparshakti Khurrana stands out as the boss with a nervous energy that cuts through the flatness. Nikhil Vijay, as the best friend, has moments, but the script holds him back. Veer Pahariya improves over his debut, Sky Force, especially in the first half, but falters when emotion deepens. The film’s opening college sequence. A tight, chaotic 15 minutes, is the only thing that works. Everything else rushes, repeats, or collapses under its own weight. And then there’s the IMDb credit: Girish AD, writer and director of Premalu, listed as a co-writer. That’s not just a coincidence. It’s a clue. The film was never meant to be original. It was meant to be different. But different doesn’t mean better. Not when the soul of the story is lost in translation. So here’s the real test: does it matter if it’s a remake? For audiences, maybe not. For critics, it matters because the film fails both versions. Neither faithful nor bold. Prem Keetanu isn’t bad because it borrows. It’s bad because it tries too hard to prove it didn’t. And that’s the one thing it can’t do. The box office will decide whether that matters. But for now, the verdict is clear: skip it. Watch Premalu instead.