Bro Daddy Malayalam Movie
Prithviraj Sukumaran teams up with Mohanlal in Bro Daddy, a lighthearted comedy about accidental pregnancy. The trailers promised an entertainer, which Bro Daddy is for a large part.
When Bro Daddy begins, I wondered whether it is the film or an ad for Kairali TMT steel bars. Remember, Mohanlal is the brand ambassador for Kairali TMT. As it turns out, it is an ad for John Chacko Kattadi's steel bar company in the movie.
Prithviraj Sukumaran plays Eesho John Kattadi, an advertising specialist. Eesho's father, Mohanlal's John Chacko Kattadi, is also an advertiser who runs the metal bars company. John's spouse, Meena's Annamma, wants Eesho to marry their family friend Kurian's daughter Anna (Kalyani Priyadarshan). But Kurian still harbors an old romance for Annamma, so John wonders whether or not the old man will agree to their proposal.
I like how cool Mohanlal's character is about the relationship history of his wife and best friend. Eesho calls him John, but it does not bother the father one bit. John Kattadi is the coolest man you may come across in cinema.
The movie becomes more interesting when the makers reveal the live-in relationship of Eesho in Bangalore. Eesho soon finds a shocking piece of news in his romantic life, which he somehow must deal with soon. At the same time, his father also has a similar piece of news with his mother. The rest of the movie is about the situations that follow the news in their lives.
Bro Daddy works as a situational comedy for the most part. It gives us a glimpse of Mohanlal in his younger days. Lal is known for these care-free kinds of characters with lives at crossroads. The actor is at ease throughout the movie and fits the part comfortably. It is among Mohanlal's better roles in lighthearted films like this one.
On the other hand, Prithviraj does not make Eesho as convincing a character as possible. The actor is still not quite at ease with comedy. A film like Bhramam shows that Prithviraj can do comedy well if he gets to work with substantial enough content. It is in a situation that requires improv where he still struggles a bit. However, as a director, Prithviraj does some good work here.
Bro Daddy is not a profound film with serious content about parenthood for adults, like, say, Badhaai Ho. At the hands of a lesser filmmaker, it could seem like things are on autopilot in Bro Daddy. But Prithviraj directs the movie in a way that keeps the proceedings engaging and/or interesting.
It is when he introduces Soubin Shahir as an event management company operator that things start to go south in Bro Daddy. Soubin's Pinto makes tasteless jokes on animals and makes the film a tad cringe-worthy.
On the other hand, the actors for the female characters do not have a lot to do here. Kalyani Priyadarshan, Kaniha and Meena have easy-on-the-eyes parts, but they entertain nevertheless. It is Mallika Sukumaran and Lalu Alex who make a mark through mature roles. It seems like Lalu Alex is playing this kind of role for the nth time, but he finds ways to make us care for Kurian. Mallika Sukumaran makes the sharp-tongued nanny a joy to watch.
It does not help that Bro Daddy has many cliches. Writers Sreejith N and Bibin Maliekal take a backward step when it comes to handling sensitive issues like accidental pregnancy but then take a rather progressive step. Nevertheless, they write an ending with a clever reworking of the formulaic climax in old movies, like Bro Daddy.