#Sweetheart! Review

#Sweetheart

Tamil - 2025

Starring : Rio Raj , Gopika Ramesh , Aruna Chaleshwaran , Fouzee , Renji Panicker and Suresh Chakravarthy

Directed by Swineeth S Sukumar

Plot : Vasu, a sensitive individual with a fear of commitment, ends his relationship with his girlfriend, Manu. Three months later, he receives an unexpected call from her—she’s pregnant. What unfolds that day and how these events transform Vasu as a person, along with the question of whether he and Manu reconcile, form the heart of the story.

Performance wise , Rio as Vasu is convincing. While he shines in the last act in a emotional sequence, rest of his performance was good but could've been better. Compared to Joe , Rio has improved in acting. Gopika Ramesh gets a solid role and has done a really good job. Aruna Chaleshwaran in a comical role gets few laughs here and there right. Fouzee as his Girlfriend gets a small yet fun role and has done well. Renji Panicker as Gopika's Father gets a stereotypical role and has done a good job. Suresh Chakravarthy as the annoying and irritating grandfather role yet again brings few smiles here and there. Reshmi who acts as Rio's Sister gets a small role but her performance is very good and standsout. Redin Kingsley in a Cameo is fun.

Technically the film is decent . Yuvan Shankar Raja's Songs are good to hear on screen and has done some really good Background score for this film. Balaji Subramanyam's Cinematography ia colourful and tries to capture the youthness of the story properly. Though it is a very regular story , Editor Thamizh has tried to edit it in a Non Linear pattern and it works and kind of slags at the same time.

The film doesn't start off like a typical rom-com instead starts at the middle of the story and then tries to back and forth. The Initial Stretch of 15-20 mins clealry cements the character arcs of Rio and Gopika. Post The Paintball Sequence and the following Phone call sequence, the film takes and goes on a fun ride . While the Romantic angle could've written in a better and new way , it does not largely bore you. Songs are good in first half . Pre Interval Twist has no link to the main plot but comes out as an unexpected fun twist that is hilarious. 

Post this , The Second Half goes into complete serious zone and gets more into the psychological confusions that the lead characters face. While there are some stretched out moments , the lead for Third Act is pretty good and the performance of everyone in the Third Act makes the film work. While the Last Twist seems forced , it works as a great fun ending for the film.

Talking about the negatives , though the storyline is something which we have seen many times , the director unfortunately has only few standout moments that too in Third act alone. Also the much hyped "Sambavam Night" sequence when revealed unfortunately doesn't workout and becomes a bummer. There is a Peppy Song in Second half that comes a speed breaker which could've been easily removed. Also the Aruna - Fouzee sequence was written in a single line and feels stretched which could've been used in a better way. And finally, Climax sequence where Vasu meets an old person who had changed his life felt forced just for the sake of shock value.

Director Swineeth S Sukumar has taken a very regular story of two insecure people in a relationship and woven a story around it. While the film's non liner treatment might make this romantic drama look new , it lacks the memorable moments. It did have some, but towards the end alone. Barring all this negatives, the film works and can be watched for Rio & Gopika.

Overall : Sweetheart! Is a decent romantic drama film that has some good moments but could've been much better with more focused writing and moments. Nevertheless the film works as a fun timepass Entertainer without much of Adult Stuff. A Decent Mature Romantic Drama.

Rating : 2.75-3/5

Digital Rights : Unsold 

Television Rights : Unsold