Bro Movie Review: A Good-Hearted Story Over-Powered By Fan Service

Director: Samuthirakani

Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Rohini Molleti, Ketika Sharma, Priya Prakash Warrier

Writer-director Trivikram has always been fascinated with the concept of divinity. We can find overarching themes like God and humanity, in some capacity, spread throughout his filmography. Even in the mass-y, crowd-pleasing Bheemla Nayak (2022), the official adaptation of Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020), he brought a sacred quality to his rebel, non-conformist protagonist, also played by Pawan Kalyan. The inclusion of a myth centred on 'Kokkili Devera' was, without a doubt, the best part of Bheemla Nayak. 

Naturally, for Trivikram, who penned the adapted screenplay of Bro, the remake of Samuthirakani's fantasy drama Vinodhaya Sitham (2021), this story is the stuff of his dreams, with themes like morality and mortality served on a dazzling, mouth-watering platter. And the film's director Samuthirakani himself is vocal about the moral responsibility and social consciousness in his films. When these two forces come together, coupled with the power of a king-size star like Pawan Kalyan, we only expect the star power to give a thunderous boost to the film, not pull it back and settle for basic highs. This is where Bro falters. The makers had the opportunity and resources to create a missile but miss the mark by a mile and settle for flower pots and sparkles.

Sai Dharam Tej's Markhadeyulu aka Mark is a busy and ambitious man. He is always running from pillar to post and barely has time for his family--a mother and two sisters. His agitation is such, that he fires an employee for forgetting to book a return ticket for his work trip from Vizag to Hyderabad. On his way back, Mark meets with a fatal accident. As his soul departs earth and waits for a transfer from our world to the afterlife, which is represented here with darkness all around, he and we are introduced to Time, played by Pawan Kalyan. Pawan first appears as a railway porter, a call-back to the iconic 'Vayyari Bhama' (which is played in the background), from Thammudu (1999). When a distraught Mark pleads Time for... more time, so he can fulfill some of his responsibilities, he is granted an extension of 90 days to live. And Time, of course, accompanies him like, as put by a character, Bethaal.

It's a wonderful story that talks about the futility of our apprehensions about the future in the most practical way possible. We have seen many films that speak about the value of life, but Bro (or Vinodhaya Sitham) is that rare movie that underlines the bitter reality: our presence or life doesn't make much of a difference. Yes, it can be a hard pill to swallow but it's a perspective that's never explored or even addressed in our films. We, the Indian society, bound by familial values, only talk about loss and longing in our films, but never about moving on, a point that everyone arrives at invariably. This perspective, coupled with fantasy, is what lends novelty to the film. This is why the film soars in its final moments, when Mark faces the hard-hitting reality and accepts his fate. Kasarla Shyam's beautiful lyrics of 'Okasaari Putti' leave a lasting impact, even if they are elaborating and reiterating the essence of Pawan Kalyan's lines. The film does get the ending right, without a doubt. But to arrive at this heartfelt culmination, we have to endure numerous uninventive and forced attempts to create a high in an otherwise heartening story. 

Every time the film remembers it has to appeal to the humongous fanbase of Pawan Kalyan, it resorts to a reference to a song from his filmography. And considering there is no paucity of moments to celebrate in his career, we get generous doses of fan service that runs the course of its time pretty soon, once the modus operandi of the film becomes apparent. This is my biggest problem with the film. Sure, there's nothing wrong with tipping hats to older films and including references to elicit a response from the audience but can that just be the only weapon in a writer's arsenal? I believe we, as movie lovers and fans, should be tripping on our favourite stars and the nostalgia associated with them. So when filmmakers make the stars themselves do it, we cannot help but wonder if they didn't have any better ideas to entertain us. Sure, the audience responded incredibly well to every popular reference in my theatre but it feels like the easiest way to achieve a mass moment. The interval shot, for instance, is a killer, and Thaman, as always, goes ballistic. I just wish there were more such moments, originating from the film's story and not the star's image.

The most disappointing moment in the film is the recreation of the 'La la Bheemla' from Bheemla Nayak, which was released just a year ago. And neither did the makers have a fresh take on it or repurposed the song; they essentially recreated a bit from the song. Now, I wouldn't say the same about other songs used in the film because I understand the nostalgia value surrounding 'Killi Killi' from Gudumba Shankar (2004) or 'Emi Sodhara' from Tholi Prema (1998) but Bheemla Nayak was just 17 months ago and I bet it's still fresh in our memory. It simply was an indication that the makers clearly ran out of ideas!

It was fun to see a nonchalant and cool Pawan Kalyan play around and have fun, especially after playing serious roles in Vakeel Saab (2021) and Bheemla Nayak, but every time the film fell back on a reference, I kept thinking that a star of his stature deserved better masala writing. And by now, the lines between Pawan's off-screen and on-screen personalities are blurred, giving the film ample opportunities to pen dialogues that smartly allude to his political career and Bro is no different— from his political party's symbol to his efforts, the writing accommodates all of it.

Trivikram's writing too is underwhelming, considering you'd expect the wizard of words to spin magic on a subject with such gravitas. Sure, there are some great lines about life and death but the thought behind it is more admirable than the dialogue itself. While that was my qualm with the film's writing and its tonality, the film's visual quality is far from perfect. Excessive usage of greenscreen is a major distraction and the keying is utterly visible, especially in the after-life sequences. Is visual finesse too much to ask for from a major production in 2023? 

Despite all its flaws, Bro manages to harbour its noble intentions at the end and the final few moments are genuinely moving, when we see Mark embrace his flaws and the meaning of existence. The peril here is that Vinodaya Sitham never aspired for a larger-than-life quality. And Bro, on the other hand, cannot afford simplicity. The fact that the adaptation has to strike a balance between the 'nobility' of the source material and the 'bigness' expected from a big-ticket Pawak Kalyan entertainer yields mixed results. I wish the making complemented the vision and writing invigorated the intentions.