Chaotic Fun, But the Script Lets It Down: Bromance Review
Director Arun D. Jose’s third movie Bromance follows Binto (Mathew Thomas), who sets out to find his missing elder brother Shinto. The brothers have a relationship complicated within its simplicity. There’s genuine love between them, but Binto has always lived in the shadow of his so-called perfect sibling – judged unfairly and constantly compared.
Binto is called to Shinto’s Kochi apartment by his friend Shabeer (Arjun Ashokan), who breaks the news that his brother has gone missing. The rest of the movie is about Binto and Shabeer’s journey to find Shinto, with a ragtag search party consisting of Aishwarya (Mahima Nambiar), Shinto’s ex-girlfriend; Courier Babu (Kalabhavan Shajohn), a local goon who lent money to Shinto; and Hariharasudhan (Sangeeth Prathap), an ethical hacker who helps the team for money. What follows is a chaotic, at times hilarious, journey to track down the missing brother.
All five in the search party pull their weight in the story almost equally, although Kalabhavan Shajon and Arjun Ashokan deliver consistent laughs and easily steal scenes. Mathew Thomas, returning to a more central role, gives a decent performance as the short-tempered younger brother. The rest of the cast—Mahima Nambiar, Sangeeth Prathap, Binu Pappu, and Shyam Mohan—deliver what’s required, but don’t leave much of a mark.
While many movies have proven till now that an engaging screenplay is enough even if the plot is simple, Bromance is unable to pull off that formula. It relies heavily on the actors, and even then, it doesn’t give them enough material to bring out their skill.
(Spoilers ahead)
As much as the plot is about Binto’s quest to find his missing brother, it is also about confronting the idealised image of Shinto. As the journey unfolds, so does the truth: Shinto is far from perfect, and perhaps his most redeeming quality is his love for his younger brother.
The first half fails to strike the right balance between comedy and suspense. The second takes the story to Coorg, where, prior to this search party, Binto was holidaying with his friends. What follows are hilarious plot twists, action sequences and even a budding romance.
However, the depiction of Kodagu men leans heavily into stereotypes, played for laughs in a way that feels exaggerated and tone-deaf.
Govind Vasantha’s music, though pleasant, doesn’t do much to lift the emotional or dramatic beats—it lands when it should soar.
In the end, Bromance has its moments of charm and humour, but the undercooked script holds it back. It’s watchable, sometimes entertaining, but far from memorable.
