Bromance
Malayalam
Some movies are effortlessly cool while others try so hard that they trip over their own shoelaces. It is difficult to conclude which category Bromance, directed by Arun D Jose, belongs to. There is a stoner film buried inside the narrative with all the right ingredients– paranoia, bad decisions, police, gangsters, brownie, and the obvious bromance. Yet, the film fails to live up to its potential due to the overuse of meta references and compromising on storytelling.
Bromance is about a young man named Binto (Thomas Mathew), forced to find his missing brother Shinto (Shyam Mohan) with the help of a few unlikely accomplices–Shinto’s friend Shabeer (Arjun Ashokan), ex-girlfriend Aishu (Mahima Nambiar), local gangster ‘Courier Babu’ (Kalabhavan Shajhon), and an ethical hacker Hariharasudhan (Sangeeth Prathap). The search leads them to a group of gangsters in Karnataka’s Coorg, culminating in a showdown with the Kodava Gang.
Not much time is wasted exploring the relationship between the two brothers, making it difficult to understand their relationship dynamics, except that it is strained and transactional. The film makes use of a smartwatch to connect with Binto’s Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), a condition which triggers sudden outbursts of anger, landing him in several moments of crisis. Despite the idea being interesting, the constant exposition of the heartbeats gets annoying after a point and reduces its impact.
The film also tries to use Mahima Nambiar’s Kasaragod dialect to evoke laughter multiple times, which softens the humour due to excessive usage. Though poorly written, the film gives her ample screen time, making it easy to register the character. Sangeeth Prathap does a commendable job trying to break out of the ‘Amal Davis’ image he got in the 2024 blockbuster Premalu, but it was strange to see him referring to Naslen–the lead character in that film–in a dialogue.
Not just this, there are several instances in which it becomes clear that the film is trying to replicate the template of successful Malayalam films released last year. Kalabhavan Shajhon’s character–and at times attire–resembles Fahad Faasil’s Ranga in Aavesham. There are certain flashback scenes of the childhood of the brothers, resembling Manjummel Boys. There is also a reference to Mammootty’s Kannur Squad to invoke humour, but it falls flat.
Govind Vasantha’s score also feels like ‘a copy of a copy of a copy’ in the film, even though it sounds good as an independent music album. Akhil George’s cinematography and Chaman Chakko’s edits also seem to follow the same pattern.
Overall, Bromance had the potential to bridge old and new generations through its narrative, but it ends up as a patchwork of good ideas rather than a cohesive, original, and technically sound film.
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 film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.