Mixed Martial Masala - Brothers : The Bugle's Verdict

Dharma Productions tries to do a solid, and makes a legitimate copy of a Hollywood film, unlike the other 90% of Bollywood films. Last official Hollywood remake was Bang Bang, ‘inspired’ from Knight and Day. Like it, Brothers too, keeps up the good work, and proves that spray-painting something golden, doesn’t make it gold, something in this case being the quintessential Bollywood masala film.

Brothers, the official remake of the Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte and Joel Edgerton-starrer, Warrior, follows the exact same plot-line and climax as the original, with minor twists to the story. So those who have seen the first, skip ahead to the next paragraph. For the uninitiated, the film is about a dysfunctional family of wrestlers... sorry, ‘MMA fighters’ (I never knew that the MMA scene was that strong in India). Anyhow. David (Akshay) and Monty (Sidharth) are step-brothers, and sons of Gary Fernandes (Jackie), a recovering alcoholic who has served time in prison for the accidental murder of his wife, Maria (Shefali Shah). A turn of events and individual desperations leads both brothers to an international MMA championship being organised at Mumbai, where they emerge against all odds to face each other as finalists.

Bad direction, a bad script, and excessive use of slow-motion render this film a sad waste of 2 hours and 38 minutes of precious time. The story is commendable. Way richer than Warrior, Brothers comes packed with a lot of emotional content. The problem is, director Karan Malhotra loses control somewhere in this emotional sea, putting out over-stretched, artificial fight sequences, that are the polar opposite of what one would expect from a gripping MMA fight.

Jackie Shroff delivers one of his most moving performances, playing a man who has nothing left in his life but regrets, and wishes to make amends with his estranged family. Everything is right in his equation – the trembling, the shivers, and the abusive drunkenness. Akshay Kumar is not bad, but then again, not that good. He passes off convincingly enough as a doting family man, who is ready to fight any battles for his sick daughter. Sidharth Malhotra is straight-faced and plastic. Shefali Shah does an expected good job in the role of the boys' mother. 

Dharma Productions gave a dull shot this time, with a bulb that tried to shine so bright, it fused right out. Over-the-top dialogues, a cartoonish supporting cast that includes Ashutosh Rana and Kiran Kumar, and an extremely artificial sports setting, just add to the insipidity that this film wasn’t lacking upon in the first place.

Verdict – 1 ½ out of 5 stars

I know it was a bad movie bro! I know ours was better! Please don't cry!!

Every few years or so, someone comes up with the grand idea of a sports film that intends to elevate the popularity for the featured sport in India. Brothers tries to hold the mantle for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, and fails magnificently. 

Punjabi Titanic - The Bugle's Verdict : Dil Dhadakne Do

The Akhtar family comes up with another movie about rich people, tied up in social as well as psychological complexities and difficulties, and how they finally come out of it. We have seen it in Dil Chahta Hai. We have seen it in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, and yet again, we see it here, in Dil Dhadakne Do. 

The movie is a peep into the crazy, flamboyant world of the upper-class gentry, and proof that however rich one may get, it shouldn’t be presumed that they can rid themselves of their original (Read: crass, orthodox and extremely short-sighted) mentality and adopt serious class. We are talking about people who gave gender inequality its original definition.

Throughout the film, all the people are shown putting down females and using them as a means to make better their corporate or social standing. Boys are married off to businessmen’s single daughters to receive some sort of corporate dowry shares and whatnot. Let’s not delve way too deep into the details.

Stranded in this scenario are the lead pair, Ranveer Singh and reel sister, Priyanka Chopra, with Farhan Akhtar and Anushka Sharma acting as the winds of change. So no new territory for Anushka too. 

Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and Anil – the 3 anchors of this extremely talented ship. Priyanka plays the hero and the victim at the same time. When all others, including Ranveer are cowering behind their designated comfort zones, Chopra acts as the pillar of reason and sense to drag people back to reality and sanity, whose absenteeism can be seen in both areas. But simultaneously, she is being crushed mentally by her authoritative husband, played by Rahul Bose, and her unconcerned parents. Ranveer plays the confused son who has been forced into the family business empire while his heart lies somewhere else entirely. He looks extremely smooth, and pulls off the role of the immature and bubbling man easily. In this Indian version of the Titanic, he’s Rose and Anushka is Jack.

By the way, are all free-spirited girls of the Akhtar-verse from London? (Anushka here, Katrina in ZNMD, etc.)

Anil Kapoor is the best and I just can’t say it enough! He is so good, that all his previous sins, MI:4 for instance, are forgiven. There is a scene where Priyanka declares her intentions for divorce, and Anil Kapoor shouts at her. Imagine the time when your father got the angriest at you in your extended memory. Multiply that by 2. Angry Anil was a step ahead of THAT! He had Priyanka as well as the entire audience shaking in their shoes in awe (and a touch of fear).

Somehow, watching the film, I was recalling Anil playing Majnu in Welcome. It is a testament to the diversity of roles the man has bagged in his kitty. He looks oh-so-good as the grey-haired, flamboyant businessman, Kamal Mehra.

A question though: Are Punjabis crazy or are Punjabis crazy? Because that is the idea that DDD seems to be promoting. Well, in their defence, the entire industry wishes to promote that idea, and the Akhtars might have just exaggerated it a bit (Not that I’d know. I’m not a Punjabi). In the previously mentioned divorce scene, Anil Kapoor asks Priyanka, “Dono young ho. Successful ho. Punjabi ho. Squash bhi khelte ho. To phir problem kya hai?” (You both are young, successful, Punjabi and play squash as well. So what is the problem). Yes.  According to him, as long as the bride and groom are Punjabis, there can be no marital problem. And the irony is that all of his extended family and friends are depicted in the same manner.

Rahul Bose is great, as usual, playing a character with grey shades. He, however, does not look even remotely Punjabi.

Despite the few clichés that this film contains, it was some of the most genuine fun I had this year. There may be times when this ship sinks under the weight of its overlarge star-cast, but eventually it is safely anchored, and knows its way about the story, never losing track of the narrative.  

Aamir Khan makes a surprise appearance too. Further, we shall not reveal.

VERDICT - 3 ½ out of 5 stars.

Good movie. Great actors. The film is quite comic, and not in the typical slapstick, Bollywood manner. Though it drags at points, it gains speed and keeps you glued to the tale of its almost eccentric characters. As usual, we see some really good, hummable songs, especially ‘Girls like to Swing’ and ‘Gallan Goodiyaan’.