Brother Movie Review: Jayam Ravi’s old school comedy-drama makes you suffer with outdated storytelling and script

Name: Brother

Director: M Rajesh

Cast: Jayam Ravi, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Bhumika Chawla, Saranya Ponvannan, Sita, Natarajan Subramaniam, Achyuth Kumar, Rao Ramesh, VTV Ganesh, Satish Krishnan

Writer: M. Rajesh

Rating: 2.5/5

Brother starring Jayam Ravi finally hit the theaters this year on Diwali with a release date set for October 31, 2024. The film tells the story of Karthik, a law college dropout who speaks out against injustice and questions those in power.

Frustrated by his behavior, his older sister decides to take him to her relatives’ house in hopes of changing him. The rest of the film is about whether Karthik will be able to change his lifestyle and live up to the expectations of others.

Apart from Jayam Ravi, the cast includes Priyanka Mohan, Bhumika Chawla, Saranya Ponvannan, Seetha, Natarajan Subramaniam, Achyuth Kumar, Rao Ramesh and others in significant roles.

Plot:

Brother, starring Jayam Ravi starring the film follows the life of a young man named Karthik. From an early age, a man questions everything and everyone that happens around him, striving for justice. Keeping his character in mind, the man is even enrolled to study to become a lawyer, but he is also forced to quit his studies because of his character.

Karthik leads a carefree existence as life goes on, constantly questioning injustice while living with his mother and father in Chennai. However, one of his antics resulted in his father having a heart attack. Consequently, his older sister decides to take him to her relatives’ house in hopes of reforming him.

Despite this move, Karthik creates more trouble at his sister’s house, leading to a series of wild events that sets the stage for the rest of the film. If you’re thinking of watching the Jayam Ravi movie in theatres, here’s Pinkvilla’s review to help you decide whether it’s worth watching on the big screen.

Good:

Movie BrotherThe film, starring Jayam Ravi, is a cartoonish tale of comedy and drama within a family. The actor plays the role of a carefree adult who doesn’t think twice about his actions and this shines through, offering a sense of comfort in his experiences.

The storyline of the film gives a light and enjoyable experience, making us laugh at various points. Moreover, the film is set in the picturesque backdrop of Ooty in the Nilgiris, offering a serene sanctuary through its visuals.

On the technical side, the film features one of the best compositions by Harris Jayaraj in recent times. His songs, including a love track and a wedding song, are reminiscent of his earlier work; however, the choreography could have been more impressive.

The bad:

Lead actor Jayam Ravi suffers significantly from an outdated script and traditional storytelling style. While this old school approach to a simple story might have been successful in Tamil cinema in the 1990s or early 2000s, it now needs to be updated and revisited.

The film fails to capture the essence of nostalgia or include relevant pop culture references, which detracts from its execution and leaves viewers questioning why they are watching it. While a few minor moments provide laughs, the film ultimately lacks humor and the accompanying melodrama fails to resonate with audiences.

From a writing standpoint, the film lacks a compelling character arc and the film presented fails to resonate emotionally and feels somewhat childish in its execution. To sum it up, the film’s script can be described as “uncreative” or simply “cringe-worthy.”

Moreover, none of the characters develop naturally, and the romantic subplot comes out of the blue without any proper setup or context.

Performance:

Jayam Ravi, Priyanka Arul Mohanand Bhumika Chawla are the leading actors in the film, playing key roles, but out of the three, only Bhumika gives some substance to her character. While Jayam Ravi pulled it off as well as all the comedy films he has done before, Priyanka once again became a bogeyman who for some reason just kept popping in and out of the frame.

In their selfish supporting character, Rao Ramesh and M.S. Bhaskar gives us a small cameo; it would be fair to say that they were saving grace on a sinking ship.

You can watch the trailer for “Brother” here:

Verdict:

“Brother” is a formulaic comedy that offers little in the way of entertainment. If you’re looking for a Diwali movie that will bring some light laughter to the whole family, this might be worth a watch. Otherwise, it’s probably best to skip it.

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