BRO Review: Sai Dharam Tej’s film celebrates Pawan Kalyan more than the story

If there’s one film family that is dominating the Telugu film industry, it is the Konidela family. Nearly 10 members of the family have a market of their own in Tollywood. When two stars of the family, Power Star Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej, join hands together, it intrigues the audience. For their first film together, they chose a Tamil film, 'Vinodhaya Sitham', directed by Samuthirakani. Let’s find out if ‘BRO’ has lived up to expectations!

Markandeya AKA Mark (Sai Dharam Tej) is a man weighed down by the responsibilities on his shoulders. Due to the demise of his father, Mark had to step up and lead the family and be the patriarch. He has three siblings (two sisters and a brother) and a mother to take care of, apart from his work and love life. However, life is mysterious and he meets his end way sooner than he thinks.

Enter Titan (Pawan Kalyan), a God of time of sorts, who gives Mark a second chance at his life to turn things over. Mark is given an ultimatum of 90 days to fulfil all his wishes. He always lacked time for his loved ones. But, with just 90 days in hand, Mark puts his family first and tries to undo a lot of things he regrets.

Samuthirakani’s 'Vinodhaya Sitham' was a film that was showered with love. The fantasy film was loaded with questions about life. It makes you wonder about the control we have over our family and our life. And the thought of what would happen to our family after our demise is something we’ve all thought about. 'Vinodhaya Sitham' answered all of them. One of the main reasons the film worked was because of its taut screenplay and solid performances from Samuthirakani and Thambi Ramaiah.

Here's the trailer:

This is where the Telugu remake, ‘BRO’, falters. The Telugu version is too long, courtesy Samuthirakani, who had decided to give in to the demands of a commercial film. He included special numbers and umpteen references to Pawan Kalyan’s career and his political ideologies. In fact, ‘Bro’ becomes a star worship vehicle instead of what it was supposed to be.

Pawan Kalyan is in supreme form and has had maximum fun here. When he dances or performs his songs, such as 'Emi Sodara' or 'La La Bheemla', you cheer for him unknowingly. That’s his charm! That’s his swag. These extra additions act as a speed breaker, thereby diluting the emotional core of the film. What worked in the Tamil version failed to work in the Telugu reboot because of its commercialisation.

Sai Dharam Tej, as a man who is racing against time, is good for the most part. When it comes to emotional sequences, his performance could have been better. The women in the film, Rohini, Priya Prakash Varrier and Yuva Lakshmi, have solid roles. Their character arcs make us feel involved and you tend to root for them when the film is working.

‘BRO’ could have been a faithful remake, had it toned down the extra additions. With special numbers and references, it becomes a watered-down version of ‘Vinodhaya Sitham’.

2 out of 5 stars for ‘BRO’.