Any film that deals with abnormalities is faced with a few pertinent questions: to what extent is the film staying true to medical, scientific reasoning? Is it possible for conjoined twins to lead near normal lives? Director K.V. Anand’s Brothers takes the science fiction route to put questions to rest. Sachin Khadekar is a genetic scientist, whose flawed experiment leads to the birth of conjoined twins as his sons. The boys are connected at the waist and function with one heart.
K.V. Anand hasn’t set out to make a weepy tale. So he shows the boys growing up like normal kids except that they move together at all times. The boys are as different as chalk and cheese. Vimal (Suriya) is the quintessential good boy who excels in studies, combs his hair, listens to elders and loves Telugu poetry. Akhil (Suriya) fails in exams, has an unruly mop of hair, mixes and matches clothes like he is colour blind and enjoys his drinks while his brother settles for an orange juice. The brothers fall in love with the beautiful Kajal Agarwal and Akhil graciously accepts the fact that her heart beats for Vimal.
The father is now a business tycoon, manufacturing and selling a health drink. His competitors want the drink’s secret formula, so does a Russian journalist. A loyal employee raises concern over side effects of the health drink. The intruders get eliminated in quick succession, but not before Vimal learns that something is vicious in his father’s factory. What follows is a maze of events with sudden jolts at every turn, as the film veers from a family drama to a science thriller.
K.V. Anand’s Rangam threw surprises at the least expected moments, unearthing unlikely villains and issues. Brothers has its share of surprises but the villain is revealed before the interval. The latter half pieces together a larger puzzle but since you know who the villain is and to what length he might go to eliminate those who cross his path, it becomes a tedious countdown to the finish line. It turns out to be a long-winded experiment with some superb segments and a few flawed ones.
Rising above the film’s shortcomings is Suriya, putting in a riveting performance. He plays Vimal and Akhil with aplomb, helped by good cinematography (Sounder Rajan) and a faithful visual effects team that make the conjoined twins look as real as possible. Kajal Aggarwal is beautiful and sails through her role with grace. Sachin Khadekar proves yet again that he is one of the finest, understated actors in this country.
Brothers is far from perfect. Discussing some of its ridiculous scenes would amount to revealing key portions of the film. But then, it’s a film you cannot dismiss easily. The pre-interval fight sequence involving the conjoined twins in the amusement park keeps the audience on tenterhooks and you can slice through the hushed silence. It’s more than a well choreographed stunt sequence. It’s one of those rare times you hope the protagonist(s) will emerge triumphant. The climax, again, takes an unexpected route and you don’t grieve the way in which the antagonist meets his end.
Watch the film for some memorable cinematic moments it offers.
Cast: Suriya, Sachin Khedekar, Kajal Agarwal
Direction: K.V. Anand
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Bottomline: A brave experiment with some superb portions, backed by Suriya’s commendable performance. A confusion of genres in the latter half and the length are the downsides.
