Little Hearts Review: Like a collection of silly reels
What’s it about?
Akhil (Mouli Tanuj) fails to secure a seat in an engineering college. His father (Rajeev Kanakala) insists he pursue long-term coaching and target IIT or NIT. But Akhil has zero interest in engineering. His heart beats for cinema songs and pretty girls.
His “little heart” has room for many, yet he begins to believe the girl he meets at the coaching center is truly special. That girl is Kathyayani (Shivani Nagaram).
Akhil, so hopeless in studies that he cannot even type her name correctly on Facebook, somehow manages to impress her. Kathyayani is no brighter. This is her fourth attempt at long-term coaching for medicine, making her as dim-witted as Akhil. Their romance begins in 2015 at the coaching center and continues for a decade. The story has no twists, no turns, and predictably ends on a happy note.
Analysis
“Little Hearts” features Mouli Tanuj Prasanth in the lead. He is said to be popular for his short film sketches and for his web series “90’s – A Middle Class Biopic” on ETV Win. I have seen neither his online content nor the said series. I entered the theater without any expectations or prior familiarity with the actors or the director. What unfolded on screen was less of a film and more of a stitched-together series of YouTube-style comedy clips.
Did I laugh? Yes, in a few places. Did I connect with the film? No.
The content is clearly designed for Mouli’s existing YouTube audience, not for general moviegoers. For a larger audience, it comes across as mostly silly, much like its two dim-witted protagonists.
At one point, the hero’s friend even calls him a “chaapri” (a derogatory word for someone with no substance). That description fits the jokes and fun moments in the film as well. A handful of gags do land, but many fall flat. With no story to speak of, the film simply chronicles the trivial love journey of these two characters from 2015 to 2025. Apart from one or two genuinely funny episodes, the rest feels tiring. This is primarily a film for the YouTube generation, and the writing and direction remain at that level.
The less said about the technical aspects the better. Among the cast, Mouli is passable. He himself claims in the film that he is “average,” which sums up both his performance and his humor. Shivani Nagaram looks charming and fits the part. Rajeev Kanakala shines and gets the film’s best moments.
Bottom line: “Little Hearts” is not a film for everyone. It is aimed squarely at mobile-first audiences who consume reels. It plays out like collection of reels with very little story. While it may amuse its target audience in parts, for others it is a mostly tedious watch.
P.S: At the film’s close, Mouli jokingly cautions: “Ee cinemaki negative review iste naa meedotte.”
Rating: 2.5/5
By: J
Movie: Little Hearts
Cast: Mouli Tanuj Prashanth, Shivani Nagaram, Rajeev Kanakala, SS Kanchi, Anitha Chowdary, Sathya Krishnan, and others
Music: Sinjith Yerramilli
Cinematography: Suriya Balaji
Editor: Sreedhar Sompally
Art Director: Divya Pavan
Producer: Aditya Haasan
Written and Directed by: Sai Marthand
Release Date: September 5, 2025