Movie Review : February 14 : www.swasam.net

Debutant director Hoshimin belongs to the Shankar school of direction. He had been his assistant before taking his stance as a director. But sadly in his romantic entertainer ‘February 14’, he failed to recreate the magic of ‘Kathal’. His film doesn’t float above the other film in comparison. The love story lacks the fervor and thus fails to create any spark. One of the reason that can be beholded, for the film failing to impress, is the off the cuff script. This in turn takes its toll on the screenplay, making the romance futile to stir any heart. What has been presented through the film seems to the rehash of some old classics.

The film revolving around Bharath and Renuka has a campus love story in the milieu. Shiva (Bharath) is a middle class guy in Tamaraikulam village near Madurai. His father is a postmaster in the village. To complete his education he comes to Bangalore College. Here he meets Pooja (Renuka Menon). Pooja is a US breed and lives there with her grandparents.

While carrying on a research work in the college, she chooses the topic poverty in India. The sensitive issue creates a stir among the students and teachers. Pooja gets very sad with the development of things happening around her. She feels like going back to the US. By now Shiva had fallen head over heel in love with her. He wants her to stay back and so does her grandfather (Pyramid Natarajan).

Here enters an animated character who comes to the aid of Shiva and they both plan to fill Pooja’s life with happiness. So Shiva starts sending her anonymous letters to make Pooja happy. However the act leads to further trouble that gets eased only in the climax of the film.

Technology is fine when it is applied in the correct manner. The animated character here is the worst that the film could have. The idea behind the act is directly traced from the Bollywood flick ‘Hum Tum’. However the character here is unable to transform that mirth and zeal into the screen.

The strength of the film is the music of Bharadwaj. ‘Laila Majnu Poi Than’ stands out. The camera work of Ratnavel is also aplomb. The performances of Bharath and Renuka also call for the trumps.

The weaknesses are the poor comedy scenes enacted by Vadivelu, Sathyan, Suman Shetty and Santhanam. Hoshimin will have to groom his talent and sharpen his skills before he sets for another film.