When the right people are involved in remaking a well-made and acclaimed film, one doesn’t really that the remake will go wrong. However, Brothers is an exception. It is directed by Karan Malhotra whose previous film Agneepath was not just a fine piece of cinema, but also better than the original in my opinion! It’s produced by Dharma Productions, known for some great films. Moreover, the original producer Lionsgate is also involved. Shockingly, Brothers turns out to be an average fare. Despite the dramatization and ‘Indianizing’ the whole thing, the film lacks emotional depth at most places.

The story of the movie: Ex-fighter Garson Fernandes (Jackie Shroff) is out of the prison for a gruesome crime that he committed many years ago. He starts mentoring his younger son Monty (Sidharth Malhotra) who has all the qualities to become a top fighter. Garson tries to reconcile with his older son David (Akshay Kumar) but he doesn’t seem interested in all. David was also a fighter once but is now a physics teacher in a school. He is married to Jenny (Jacqueline Fernandez) and they have a six-year old daughter Maria (Naisha Khanna). Maria suffers from a kidney ailment and its treatment requires lot of money. An international mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament called R2F (Right To Fight) is all set to commence in Mumbai. Both David and Monty decide to participate, but for different reasons.

Those who have seen Warrior will surely be dejected by the film, especially in the first half. But even those who haven’t will realize that the initial hour doesn’t really manage to grip viewers well. The flashback portions take up a lot of time. The remake also has the character of the mother (Shefali Shah) which was absent in Warrior. It gives a nice touch to the film, on paper. But the execution is such that it doesn’t really make an impact on celluloid. One doesn’t really get drawn into or empathize with what the brothers go through. Thankfully, the film gets better in the second half when the R2F commences. The fight with Gama is hilarious but the sound of the punch should have been stronger to make it look more convincing. The other fights are quite fun as well. Yet, the emotional angle is missing. Thankfully, the climax is a bit moving. It’s the most emotional portion of the film.



Somewhere, the performances get affected too due to the faulty script. However, one can’t deny that the actors have worked really hard. Akshay Kumar is the apt choice for this role. The scenes where he is training are stunning. The star anyways works hard on his physique but in this film, he has gone way ahead. Performance wise, he gives his best. This is especially in the finale. Sidharth Malhotra works even harder as he has to match up to Akshay Kumar. The actor gives his everything for this role and the dedication shows. Surprisingly, he doesn’t speak much but the impact is made with his eyes and also of course, his punches! Jackie Shroff steals the show, especially in the first half with his outbursts. He has always been a fine performer and this film just reaffirms that! Jacqueline Fernandez doesn’t have much to do but gives a decent performance. Naisha Khanna is fine. Shefali Shah puts her best foot forward. Ashutosh Rana (Pasha) is quite delightful. Kiran Kumar (Peter Braganza) is over the top but that is the requirement of the role and he does it very well. Kulbhushan Kharbanda gives a good performance and his scenes would surely be liked. Raj Zutshi and Kavi Shastri do a fine job as the commentators. The kids playing the younger David and Monty perform nicely. Real fighters have been used and they add to the realism. Finally, Kareena Kapoor is at her sexiest best in the song Mary.

Ajay-Atul’s music is soulful but won’t be remembered much. The only song that has a long life is Mary. The item song is unnecessary but one won’t complain as Kareena takes it to another level. Ajay-Atul’s background score however is exhilarating. Hemant Chaturvedi’s cinematography compliments the proceedings well. Justin Yu and Eric Brown’s action is one of the highlights of the film. Siddharth-Garima’s dialogues are fine for most of the film but at some places it goes bit out of hand. Why would anyone introduce a German fighter by saying ‘Ye Hitler ke desh se hai’?! Gavin O'Connor and Cliff Dorfman’s original story is brilliant and has all the ingredients of powerful film. However, the adapted screenplay (Ekta Pathak Malhotra) is a bit dragging. Karan Malhotra’s direction too fails to match up to Gavin O'Connor’s execution. Just by dramatizing or adding an additional family angle won’t make the film better or moving. The original didn’t have the character of mother and was shorter and yet it made a far better impact. Hope, Karan Malhotra gets back to his form in Shhuddhi because the stakes would be higher in that film and he can’t go wrong out there!

On the whole, Brothers is strictly an average film. Even if one has not seen the original film, one might be disappointed, especially with the film’s first half. What make the film watchable are the fight scenes, performances, climax and Kareena Kapoor’s song. But overall, it could have been much better and shorter. This one is a rare not-so-great film from Dharma Productions!

My rating - ** ½  out of 5!