Sweetheart! is a Tamil-language film written by Sukumar, Swineeth. The stars in the film are Rio Raj, Gopika Ramesh, and Renji Panicker with Redin Kingsley, Arunachaleswaran Pa, Tulasi and Fouziee playing supporting roles. Yuvan Shankar Raja produced the movie under YSR Films and distributed by Five Star K. Senthil. Cinematography is done by Balaji Subramanyam and editing by Tamil Arasan. The music of Yuvan Shankar Raja gives emotional weight to the narration of the movie. It seeks to plot romance and drama within a lively context, and at a duration of 2 hours 24 minutes.
Sweetheart! was made with a projected cost of Rs. 5 crore. However its box office revenue has been moderate, and this is estimated to have been Rs. 1.2 crore. A ceremony by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on 13 March 2025 to give the movie a U/A certification allowed viewers over 12 years old to view the film, but discouraged children below 12 to do so without parental guidance. It did not quite succeed commercially, but a good cast and trendy playback with the toe-tapping songs were generated under the seasoned hand of Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Contents
Review
Under the direction of Swineeth S. Sukumar, Sweetheart! tries to put up a modern romance drama, but fails to support its weight. The film surrounds Vasu (Rio Raj) who is an emotionally traumatized animator and Manu (Gopika Ramesh) his well meaning girlfriend who are struggling to make sense of a relationship that is now in the state of unplanned pregnancy. What could otherwise have been a good analysis of love, responsibility, and redemption, is instead disjointed, at best, and tiresome, at worst, in its presentation.
Sweetheart! is burdened with a bottom-stuffed screenplay and storytelling. The film continues to slip and fall between unnecessary flashback and outrageous subplots, including a sponging kid and a girlfriend in a well, which do not contribute to the overall emotional struggle of the film. The non-linear structure of the movie, which was expected to give the film some complexity, instead confuses the timeline and loses the punch.
Characterization is shallow, the problem of commitment that Vasu has can be described as the typical problem of the parental neglect, and all of this adoration Manu gives to him is infuriatingly unmerited. Rio Raj and Gopika Ramesh take their roles seriously, and this is one of the few merits as far as their chemistry is concerned, yet even their good acting could not help this film which is mostly poorly written.
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There is less comedy working in the movie, and the dramatic scenes do not strike the proper note. Yuvan Shankar Raja scores rightly deserve watching the film, and even the appearance of the musician in the movie serve as a bonus, yet it is not the soundtrack that makes the purchase worthwhile.
In conclusion, Sweetheart! is a film that is seeking its own tone, not knowing whether it is being a light comedy or a drama. An erratically wandering musical: glimpses of sincerity and earnest acting could not be put to cover the pace the narration has, the abundance of cliche, the emotional cues put in badly. A disappointing watch.
Cast
The role taken by Rio Raj is a mood-conflicted animator who is tormented by his fear of commitment and the possibility of being a father. He delivers an empathetic act, and he has masterfully conveyed the anxiety, confusion and frequent immaturity of Vasu. Even with the faults of the writing, Rio has endowed his character with sufficient natural flair and sincerity in his emotional story that it becomes a little relatable. Manu is played by Gopika Ramesh with effulgence, warmth and grit. With the struggles of Manu, his relations with parents, and more, she treats them daintily, with her character being vulnerable and strong even when the script does not delve into her choices.
His father Renji Panicker is a very forceful character who is not well developed on screen, since there is a lack of emotional foundation to the acceptance rates that swing between serious disapproval to the unexplainable acceptance. Redin Kingsley, giving comic relief, as usual, here, has repetitive humor that does not seem to fit the movie with its more emotional nature. The typecasting of Arunachaleswaran Pa, the friend of Vasu, adds energy and spontaneity, only to be an effective sidekick, who does little but slapstick comedy.
Tulasi, who is the mother of Vasu, creates a degree of feeling in a much-limited screen time, which is the root of the unresolved trauma of Vasu. Being a friend of Manu, Fouziee is a shoulder to lean on and a stable contrast to the insanity that surrounds Manu. As the uncle and fiance of Manu, Suresh Chakravarthy and Aashik Gopinath have functional roles, and one of the few positive impressions is Reshmi Karthigeyan playing the role of the sister of Vasu.
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Critical Reviews
Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India has rated the movie two out of five stars, believes that Sweetheart is a hodgepodge, unfocused rom-com and compares the movie to a drunken tipple. The indifferent hero Vasu descends into a rut as his girlfriend Manu tells him she is pregnant, and starts a sequence of banal flashbacks and awkward plots. The slowness, stale humor, and weird characterization, starting with an investigative child detective, make it difficult to remain engaged. The decent performance of Rio Raj and Gopika Ramesh and a decent score of Yuvan Shankar Raja do not help the movie which sinks on the romance and comedy fronts.
The movie scored 2 out of 5 stars by the Cinema Express and is regarded by the Sweetheart! movie as a wasted opportunity with hackneyed tropes and a poor storyline. It starts with a breakup, setting a foreseeable “will they, won’t they” trajectory, but it never develops its characters in an adequate manner. The fear of parenthood that Vasu has is based on an already exhausted bit of backstory, and the loyalty Manu shows him is unearned, as he has moments that are toxic to him. The nonlinear storyline of the film does not contribute much to the story, other than extending it. Sweetheart! ends up being empty and unmemorable.
Anusha Sundar, reviewer of OTTplay, gave a two-star rating to the film and believes it is a sloppy, hodgepodge, and inconsistent work of art that chews more than it can swallow. It tries to explore contemporary relationships and premarital pregnancy, yet it makes unneeded digressions and bloated subplots. The character of Vasu has a cliche back story and the reason as to why Manu is devoted to him does not wash well.
The film does not choose whether it should be serious or goofy and it is hard to stick with it. Sweetheart as a love story is left with very little to offer despite the good acting by Rio Raj and Gopika Ramesh and the music by Yuvan Shankar Raja who redeems the movie in some aspect.
Audiences Reviews
Sweetheart! film was well received by viewers. On the IMDb, there are only 431 individuals who rated the movie 5.3 stars out of a total of 10 stars, which are good reviews, yet it can be fake since the reviewers are very low.
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To begin with, I chose Sweetheart! among the viewers, and the feedback was of every taste. The majority of the users had positive remarks to make regarding the movie, saying that it was a heartfelt movie, with charming performances and general emotional appeal. They underlined the fact that the film is a perfect mix of comedy and delicacy and it keeps the viewer attentive to the last second. It is full of characters you can relate with, it will make you laugh and cry, it has even been said to be a sort of a surprise hit that leaves you feeling very warm at the end of it.
Good production design, great picturization, lighting and music were also major praises. Although the story was not complex, the audience did not feel that Sweetheart! had not succeeded in creating a considerable and entertaining experience.
Some other critics bemoaned that the film also had a formulaic plotline. They claimed that the story had placed too much emphasis on the one scenario and so had become thin at some places, even tedious. Some of the users also found his performance to be unimpressive, as he claimed that his appearance and acting did not match the emotional mood of the film.
Some of them were distracted by the non-linear nature of the editing, and the background music less powerful than the music and cinematography. In conclusion, with Sweetheart! getting over this to provide emotional resonance to the majority, some viewers will not love the overall depth and performance.
Songs
Sweetheart! offers an riotous and colorful soundtrack, much of it by Yuvan Shankar Raja, that combines a variety of moods to match the playful nature of the movie. The album starts with a catchy, frenetic song, “Paint Ball” which was co-written and played by MC Sanna. It wakes up the soundtrack of life with the energy of youthfulness. Then there is the melancholic Amma Song by Rio Raj, which is sung by Yuvan Shankar Raja and Sai Vignesh. Short, yet touching, it does bring a softer emotional background at the beginning.
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Composed of set to lyrics by Madhan Karky and sung by Yuvan Shankar Raja and Sinduri Vishal, the song Kadhavai Thirandhaye, gives the album a melodic romantic touch. The music of Awsum Kissa, by Yuvan and OfRo, the lyrics of Kelithee and Gana Francis, are quirky and spunky and manage to keep the song light and up to date. Oruthi by Yuvan Shankar Raja and Adithya RK is more spacey with a slick voice and philosophical lyrics. Arivu wrote the song “Kadhal Adhu Poi” which continues the punchy pop tradition in which Yuvan gives a spirited voice performance.
The album ends with “Torture Pro Max” a bouncy fusion song with Yuvan, Arivu, and Tanvi Shah. It is an invigorating ending to the soundtrack, with its combination of rap and melody. The total length of the seven songs is slightly less than 20 minutes, which is a relatively short but full-bodied listening experience reflected by the youthful energy of Sweetheart!
How to Watch the Sweetheart! Movie
The movie Sweetheart! It is available on Disney+ Hotstar that you can watch at the comfort of your home. When you are a premium subscriber, then streaming the movie is not a problem. You not only get to watch Sweetheart when you subscribe. However, also opens one of the largest libraries with the best-quality movies, TV shows, original series, and documentaries in various languages and genres.
The film will also stream in the high definition with the smooth and immersive viewing experience in Disney Plus Hotstar. And even the site has an access to download movies and watch them at any point you wish to, free of charge, which is excellent when you do not want any distraction when watching a film or do not want to in the process of travelling.
Well, when you want to get Sweetheart! In case you are a person who likes to consume the entertainment world, Disney+ Hotstar is a great subscription plan.