Brother Movie Review : A comedy-drama that leans on familiar tropes

Brother Movie Synopsis: Karthik is a carefree, socially oblivious guy who has simple desires and lives a happy-go-lucky life. When his actions inadvertently disrupt his elder sister Anandhi’s marriage, he must work to restore harmony in the family while navigating his own relationship with Archana.

Brother Movie Review: Brother is one of those packaged family dramas that stays true to its original intention without overstaying its welcome. From the opening scenes, the tone and pace are clearly set: a clueless law school dropout whose inability to read the room, coupled with his overenthusiasm, leads to trouble. The consequences of his actions remain within the family, while logic takes a backseat for the sake of comedy. The film maintains a colorful tone, aided by a cast of supporting characters who contribute their share of humor and drama. While it doesn’t break new ground, it avoids pushing any agenda, sticking to the simple formula it sets out from the start.

Karthik (Jayam Ravi) is a well-meaning but impulsive guy with an ingrained obsession for justice that often gets him into trouble. After causing a scene by getting a demolition order without consulting the apartment association in Chennai, his exasperated parents send him to Ooty, hoping his sister Anandhi (Bhumika Chawla) can rein him in. However, Anandhi underestimates Karthik’s reckless tendencies. At her home with her husband Aravind (Natarajan Subramaniam) and his family, Karthik’s habit of acting before thinking leads to one disaster after another—ruining a family dinner, getting fired as a hospital bouncer, and then as a PT instructor. The breaking point comes when he clashes with Anandhi’s father-in-law (Rao Ramesh), a proud collector with a towering ego, leading to a heated argument that splits the families apart. Even after such a serious rift, Karthik stays oblivious until his father disowns him, demanding he repair the damage. Karthik goes on a journey to mend the fractured family and prove himself, with Archana (Priyanka Mohan) playing mediator.

Brother’s comedic elements are light, more in the realm of a chuckle. The film serves up a blend of familiar commercial ingredients from the comedy-family-drama genre: over-the-top bravado from Jayam Ravi, the goofy antics of Keshav (VTV Ganesh), a few glitzy song-and-dance sequences, perpetually glamorous actresses, and parents (on both sides) embodying the typical Indian boomer mentality. It feels as if director M. Rajesh set out to tick some boxes, for better or worse. The first half is quite amusing—not laugh-out-loud funny, but consistently entertaining. The family drama soon takes center stage, and abrupt character shifts make it hard to buy into their transformations. Karthik’s reconciliation efforts come off as overly convenient and melodramatic. The drama gets too extra with all the crying, shouting, forced emotional scenes, and even a bout of drinking. Somehow, Karthik’s brain has rewired itself entirely, but this sudden restraint feels like a betrayal of the impulsive guy we’ve seen so far. Keeping the pacing and eccentricities of the first half might have helped maintain a consistent tone.

Brother is mostly performance driven. Jayam Ravi looks impressive with his typical towering presence. He brings a range of emotions—dancing, laughing, fighting, obliviousness, self-awareness, even crying—that make him the backbone of the film. The supporting cast also adds flavor: Bhumika embodies the concerned yet supportive sister, while Priyanka Mohan adds to the glam factor. Nataraj has some energetic moments that suit his style very well. He's quick and sudden - probably even the actors are taken by surprise! Rao Ramesh steals the spotlight as the egoistic collector. He’s both funny and grating.

Harris Jayaraj’s Makkamishi has generated some buzz, but the rest of the soundtrack is just passable. Brother is enjoyable in parts, though the soap-opera vibes detract from its appeal.

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