Journey of Love 18+ (2023) [Hindi-Malayalam]

Journey of Love 18+ is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama romance film directed by Arun D. Jose, who co-wrote the film with Raveesh Nath, based on the story by Rajesh Varikkoli. The film stars Naslen K. Gafoor, Mathew Thomas and Nikhila Vimal. Set in Vadakara in Northern Kerala, the plot centres around Akhil and Athira’s love story and the events that lead to their marriage.

S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote “Director Arun D. Jose cannot muster up any chemistry between the lead pair, while the politics in the film is Journey of Love 18+ merely a prop except at a few points.”[15] Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote “Overall, the film has a good, youthful vibe. However, it is not as free-flowing as it’s [sic] predecessors of the same genre, like ‘Thanneer Mathan Dinangal’, among others.”[16] A critic of The Times of India gave the film 3/5 stars. Raymond John Kuriachan of OTTPlay gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote “Despite its familiar template, Naslen and Meenakshi’s Journey of Love 18+ succeeds in becoming a light-hearted comedy.”[18] Arjun Ramachandran of The South First gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and said “The Naslen and Meenakshi-starrer is vocal about political parties, their double standards, infightings, and caste politics.”[19] Vignesh Madhu of Cinema Express gave the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote “At a time when mediocre thrillers and vapid feel-good dramas are a dime a dozen in Malayalam cinema, such well-packaged fun films are indeed a breath of fresh air. Raymond John Kuriachan of OTTPlay gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote “Despite its familiar template, Naslen and Meenakshi’s Journey of Love 18+ succeeds in becoming a light-hearted comedy.”[18] Arjun Ramachandran of The South First gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and said “The Naslen and Meenakshi-starrer is vocal about political parties, their double standards, infightings, and caste politics.”[19] Vignesh Madhu of Cinema Express gave the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote “At a time when mediocre thrillers and vapid feel-good dramas are a dime a dozen in Malayalam cinema, such well-packaged fun films are indeed a breath of fresh air.