Director Keerthiswaran&rsquo;s debut film Dude, featuring Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju, released in theatres on Friday and has already made a strong impression at the box office.
The film collected ₹3.97 crore net in India on its opening day, outperforming the first-day earnings of Pradeep&rsquo;s 2022 hit Love Today (₹2.45 crore) and Mamitha&rsquo;s 2024 release Premalu (₹90 lakh). 
With advance bookings contributing ₹3.89 crore, audience anticipation for the film was evident even before release.&nbsp;
Pradeep&rsquo;s last outing, Dragon, opened at ₹6.5 crore, a benchmark Dude is likely to approach by the end of the day.
Dude narrates the story of Agan (Pradeep) and Kural (Mamitha), two childhood friends whose relationship is tested when Kural proposes marriage amid deep-rooted family enmity. 
The conflict intensifies between Agan&rsquo;s mother Parvathy (Rohini) and Kural&rsquo;s father, politician Athiyamaan Azhagappan (Sarathkumar). 
The cast also includes Hridhu Haroon, Dravid Selvam, Aishwarya Sharma, Neha Shetty, and Satya in pivotal roles.
Critics have praised Keerthiswaran for turning what could have been a straightforward love story into a layered narrative. 
The director balances both protagonists&rsquo; perspectives without painting either as a villain, delivering what reviewers call a &ldquo;distinctly Pradeep-coded&rdquo; storytelling style.
While the final day-one box office figures are still awaited, early trends point to a promising start for both the debutant director and the lead cast.

Pradeep Ranganathan & Mamitha Baiju’s film Dude surpasses Love Today’s opening collection

Dude Opens Strong With ₹3.97 Crore Debut

Pradeep Ranganathan & Mamitha Baiju’s film Dude surpasses Love Today’s opening collection

October 17, 2025 | 22:49 IST