Imagine this: Markandeya (Sai Dharam Tej) lies dead in a morgue as the doctor and team tear open his clothes to perform an autopsy. But he gets the approval of Time (Pawan Kalyan) to go back and live his life. The lucky Markandeya suddenly wakes up alive, except he does not just come back to life, even his torn clothes somehow get restored. It is the smaller, illogical things like these in BRO, that make it hard to completely immerse in the story and be moved by it.
Directed by Samuthirakani, BRO stars actors Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Ketika Sharma, Rohini Molleti, Priya Varrier, Vennela Kishore, and others. The film is a remake of the Tamil film Vinodhaya Sitham.
Markandeya, who is burdened with family responsibilities, dies in an accident. But he gets an opportunity to come alive briefly and fulfill his responsibilities. Time (Pawan Kalyan) accompanies him in this journey. In this fantasy film, Pawan Kalyan appears in the role of god, referring to himself as Time. Sai Dharam Tej is lazily named Markandeya because according to the Hindu legend, Markandeya turns immortal after defeating the god of death with his prayers. Sai Dharam Tej even wears an earring with the letter ‘M’ to highlight the importance of this reference, in case the audience forgets.
While Markandeya assumes himself to be a perfect man who does not deserve such an early death, after coming back to life he realises that he is a man with many flaws. The banter between Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej who are uncle and nephew in real life mostly works on screen. Pawan Kalyan brings a much needed dose of energy to BRO with his excellent performance. But this does not last long. His character allows him to be self-indulgent and make a social commentary against his rivals in real life. The actor’s role is limited to talking philosophy, re-enacting self-referential scenes, and dancing to his own songs from previous movies – something which only his fans seem to enjoy.
The biggest drawback of BRO is its stage-play-like treatment of the story. It is too artificial to be believable. The predictable narrative makes us want more than the fun exchanges between Time and Markandeya. Even Time’s self-referential scenes become pointless and cannot salvage the film after a while.
It is evident that Samuthirakani had a tough time trying to fuse a film with elements that would please Pawan Kalyan fans and also work as a story, but disappointingly, he only succeeds to pull off the former.
Pawan Kalyan appears throughout the film, but that is also what becomes its undoing. The focus on Pawan Kalyan does not allow the director to invest in the actual story or the secondary characters.
While Pawan Kalyan is able to deliver the role of a mischievous god with ease, Sai Dharam Tej struggles to perform. Among the other characters, Rohini Molleti steals the show with her fine performance as a mother who is caring and also witty. Ketika Sharma (Ramya), who plays Sai Dharam Tej’s girlfriend, does not get enough screen time, but she gives a decent performance within her limited role. Music director Thaman’s background score is rousing each time Pawan Kalyan appears on screen. But BRO’s lackluster story cannot be redeemed no matter how much effort the team has put in.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the producers or any other members of its cast and crew.