Star
Cast:
Pranav
Mohanlal,
Darshana
Rajendran,
Kalyani
Priyadarshan
Director:
Vineeth
Sreenivasan
Hridayam,
the
highly
anticipated
project
which
features
Pranav
Mohanlal
in
the
lead
role,
has
finally
had
a
grand
release.
The
coming-of-age
musical
drama,
which
is
written
and
directed
by
Vineeth
Sreenivasan,
revolves
around
a
young
man's
life
journey
from
his
late
teens
to
his
early
30s.
Hridayam
features
Kalyani
Priyadarshan
and
Darshana
Rajendran
as
the
female
leads.
Did
the
Pranav
Mohanlal-Vineeth
Sreenivasan
film
live
up
to
expectations?
Read
the
Hridayam
movie
review
here
to
know...
*No
Spoilers
Ahead*
What's
Yay:
The
cast
and
performances
(especially
Pranav
Mohanlal)
Script
&
Direction
Music
score
and
song
placements
Visuals
and
technical
aspects
What's
Nay:
Duration
Plot
Arun
Neelakandan
(Pranav
Mohanlal)
joins
KC
Tech,
a
popular
engineering
college
in
Chennai
for
his
graduation.
Hridayam
focuses
on
how
the
various
incidents
that
happened
in
those
four
years
shaped
his
personality
and
influence
his
journey
ahead.
Vineeth
Sreenivasan,
the
multi-faceted
talent
has
delivered
one
of
his
finest
works
as
a
filmmaker,
with
Hridayam.
This
Pranav
Mohanlal
starrer
is
a
well-made
coming-of-age
drama,
that
most
of
the
audiences
will
relate
with
at
some
point.
Writer-director
Vineeth
has
crafted
the
transitions
of
its
central
character
Arun's
life
organically,
thus
bringing
a
plethora
of
nostalgia
and
emotions
to
the
audience.
The
biggest
plus
point
of
Hridayam
is
the
way
it
has
developed
its
lead
characters
while
making
use
of
the
strengths
of
the
actors
who
played
them.
The
excellent
casting
of
the
film
deserves
a
special
round
of
applause.
Another
major
factor
that
makes
the
film
absolutely
enjoyable
is
the
brilliant
placement
of
its
songs.
However,
Hridayam
is
not
a
flawless
film.
The
film
takes
its
own
sweet
time
developing
the
central
character
Arun
and
his
surroundings
in
the
highly
impactful
first
half.
However,
things
seem
a
bit
rushed
in
the
second
half.
For
instance,
Arun's
relationship
with
Darshana
(Darshana
Rajendran)
is
explored
well,
while
his
relationship
with
Nithya
(Kalyani
Priyadarshan)
blooms
in
a
hurry
and
suddenly
shifts
to
its
next
phase.
Also,
there
are
certain
characters
that
are
left
unexplored.
The
long
running
time
of
Hridayam
might
be
an
issue
for
the
audiences,
who
prefer
a
crisp
watch.
Performances
Pranav
Mohanlal
-
the
actor
has
finally
arrived
with
Hridayam.
This
Vineeth
Sreenivasan
directorial
has
totally
reinvented
the
star
kid's
potential.
Pranav's
immense
growth
as
an
actor
is
visible
in
his
portrayal
of
Arun
Neelakandan's
transitions
from
a
boy
to
a
man.
The
young
actor
simply
shines
in
romantic
and
emotional
sequences.
His
dialogue
delivery
and
voice
modulation
are
also
top-notch.
Pranav
Mohanlal
is
definitely
here
to
stay.
Darshana
Rajendran,
who
plays
Darshana,
once
again
proves
her
mettle
as
a
performance
with
the
layered
character.
Kalyani
Priyadarshan,
on
the
other
hand,
steals
the
show
with
her
charming
screen
presence
and
humour
sense.
Both
the
actresses,
especially
Kalyani
shares
an
amazing
onscreen
chemistry
Pranav
Mohanlal.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Aju
Varghese,
Aswath
Lal,
Vijayaraghavan,
Johny
Antony,
Arun
Kurian,
Annu
Antony,
Megha
Thomas,
Kalesh,
and
others
have
played
the
respective
roles
to
near
perfection.
Vishwajith
Odukkathil
makes
a
great
debut
as
an
independent
cinematographer
with
Hridayam.
The
excellent
visualisation
of
the
film
brings
the
unseen
face
of
Chennai
city
to
the
big
screens
in
its
full
glory.
Ranjan
Abraham
has
done
a
great
job
with
the
editing.
The
production
design
team
also
deserves
a
special
mention.
But
the
heart
and
soul
of
Hridayam
is
Hesham
Abdul
Wahab's
fantastic
music
score.
The
real
essence
of
this
Vineeth
Sreenivasan
directorial
clearly
lies
in
those
15
songs,
that
literally
hold
the
narrative
together.
Hesham
is
definitely
going
to
make
it
big.
Verdict
Hridayam
is
a
well-made
coming-of-age
musical
drama
that
brings
a
plethora
of
emotions
and
nostalgia
to
its
viewers.
This
film
has
its
heart
in
the
right
place,
thanks
to
its
exceptional
making,
brilliant
performances,
and
fantastic
music
score.