Little Hearts review: Calls for a mature discussion on modern-day love

A day before its release, director duo Anto Jose Pereira-Aby Treesa Paul’s Little Hearts made headlines for facing a ban in the GCC (Middle Eastern) nations. While the reports suggested that the film attracted a ban because of sensitive content, the team didn’t give a hint of any such content during their promotions.

Interestingly, Little Hearts was also embroiled in controversy due to Shane Nigam’s cryptic remark, during a promotional interview, against actor Unni Mukundan. Shane apologised to Unni later.

Coming to the film, Little Hearts is a romantic comedy with sensitive content.

It has three different love stories and the mature treatment by the directors makes you sit up and take notice.

Read on to know why:

Synopsis

Siby (Shane Nigam) loses his mother at a young age and lives with his father Baby (Baburaj). Baby and Johnson (Renji Panicker) are thick friends and own cardamom plantations in Idukki.

Sibi takes care of the plantations and is an all-rounder in his village.

Baby, a social media-savvy, likes posting reels on Instagram.

He is 56 and in love with Cicily (Ramya Suvi), a single mother. However, Cicily’s brother and her daughter don’t approve of their relationship.

Meanwhile, Siby and Sosha (Mahima Nambiar) are in love with each other. Theirs is a routine formulaic love story filled with songs, differences of opinion, apologies, etc.

The third love story is between Sharon (Shine Tom Chacko), the son of Johnson, and his male partner—a UK citizen.

This queer relationship is the major highlight of the film, which is the reason why the movie has been banned in the GCC nations.

Coming back to the story, Sharon and his partner decide to live together but the former lacks the guts to reveal his romantic relationship to his parents.

Som Sharon seeks Sibi’s help and this is where the film picks up its pace and offers interesting twists and turns.

Little Hearts revolves around these three love stories and is a good theatrical experience.

Also Read: ‘Little Hearts’ banned in GCC nations due to ‘mysterious elements’

Sensible presentation of queer love

Directors Anto Jose Pereira and Aby Treesa Paul deserve praise for being sensible and sensitive in presenting the nuances of the queer relationship while also showcasing the parents’ perspective.

The sequence where Johnson and his wife are told about their son’s queer relationship has been handled responsibly.

As expected, people around Sharon don’t readily accept his relationship.

Being a common man with absolutely no exposure, Sibi initially reacts to the relationship by using derogatory and offensive words.

However, Sibi eventually understands the relationship and also advocates for queerness. He urges Sharon’s mother to understand and accept her son.

Interestingly, last year, Mammootty played a closeted gay man in Kaathal-The Core, which evoked critical acclaim and worldwide appreciation for the Superstar for breaking his image.

Soon after its release, Kaathal-The Core led to wide discussions on social media on queer relationships and underscored the need for society to positively accept change. It also minted money at the box office.

It’s welcome to see today’s filmmakers come up with content that remained unexplored due to awareness and support.

Matured treatment

The other highlight of Little Hearts is Baby and Cicily’s love story, which has been visualised well. The duet song picturised on this middle-aged couple has come out well.

Their track also highlights the dreams and passion of a middle-aged woman. It draws applause from the audience also for the fact that it is devoid of any melodrama.

The melodies composed by Kailash Menon are an added advantage.

However, the abrupt ending in the climax feels like the makers were in a rush to pack up!

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Perfect casting

All the actors deliver a natural performance in Little Hearts.

The directors have tried to showcase Shane Nigam as a mass actor. He aces the comedy scenes and is in full form as Sibi, especially in the climax portion.

Baburaj, as Baby-Sibi’s father, is an eye feast. His Instagram reels are all about his showcasing his showcasing his acting skills.

The actor has proved his mettle in comedy films. His role as Baby feels like an extension of his characters in Salt N Pepper (2011) and Mayamohini (2012).

Mahima Nambiar, as Sosha, makes a good pair with Shane’s Sibi. Shane and Mahima, who won our hearts as the lead pair in RDX (2023), mesmerise us with their on-screen chemistry in Little Hearts too.

Shine Tom Chacko, as Sharon, delivers a nuanced performance. His character is not as loud as in his previous works. He needs to be appreciated for putting in good efforts in changing his body language as a gay person.

Ramya Suvi, as Cicily—Baby’s love interest, pulls off the role with ease. She beautifully portrays the feelings of a single mother in a relationship.

Ranji Panicker and Mala Parvathy as parents of Sharon and Sosha do justice to their roles.

Final take

Little Hearts deserves appreciation for dealing with different types of love stories in a mature way.

Watch this romantic comedy for the crazy combination of Baburaj and Shane Nigam as father-son.

(Views expressed here are personal.)