When a film banks heavily on a star’s hits from the past, referencing songs and dialogues from his blockbusters, but fails to have fresh standout moments, it can end up as a huge misfire. The Telugu film Bro - the Avatar, starring uncle-nephew duo Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej, is one such case in point. Director Samuthirakani who had written and directed the Tamil original Vinodhaya Sitham, reworks the plot to suit Pawan Kalyan’s and Sai Dharam Tej’s personas with the help of Trivikram Srinivas’ screenplay and dialogues. Yet, Bro ends up as a film that occasionally brings in some cheer but otherwise fizzles into a boring soap opera, despite a well-intended story.
The core plot isn’t bad at all; it’s a relevant one that spells out the universal truth that none of us are indispensable; our home and workplace will adapt and move on irrespective of us. The story can work like a fable that makes the viewer take back a few lessons in humility.
Samuthirakani and Trivikram Srinivas aptly call the central character Markandeyulu (Sai Dharam Tej). Mark, as his colleagues and friends refer to him, thinks he is presenting the best version of himself to his family and colleagues and that he knows the best. ‘I have no time’ is his constant refrain.
