Bro (2023 film)

Bro is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language supernatural fantasy comedy film directed by Samuthirakani, from a screenplay by Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by People Media Factory and Zee Studios, it stars Sai Dharam Tej and Pawan Kalyan. It is a remake of director's own 2021 Tamil-language film Vinodhaya Sitham.

The film was announced in December 2021. Principal photography began in February 2023 and ended in June 2023 with filming proceeded in Hyderabad. The music is composed by Thaman S. Released on 28 July 2023, the film opened to mostly mixed-to-average reviews from critics. Pawankalyan's different looks are praised

Plot
Markandeyulu "Mark" is an IT worker in Hyderabad who wants to marry his girlfriend, Ramya. He is self-centered, prioritizing his own interests over his family and Ramya. After a car accident, Mark wakes up in a dark place and meets "Time," who tells him his time on Earth is over. Mark pleads for more time to stabilize his family and company, and Time grants him three months, on the condition of secrecy and constant accompaniment.

During these three months, Mark faces numerous challenges. He loses a promotion and resigns in protest, only to rejoin his job after learning his mother has Parkinson's disease and needs treatment in the US. His sister Veena elopes with her boyfriend, and his brother Arun returns from the US after losing his job, bringing his girlfriend, Andrea. Mark's younger sister, Gayathri, agrees to marry a family friend's son to save Mark's reputation, despite wanting to study abroad.

Mark's company prospers after he implements a successful idea, leading to his promotion to Managing Director. He reconciles with his family, cancels Gayathri's unwanted marriage, and supports her education. Ten days before his time is up, Mark pledges his organs and confesses to Time about a past wrongdoing. Time reveals that the person Mark wronged is connected to his recent career struggles.

Seeing Mark's genuine transformation, Time offers to take him to heaven. Mark accepts, and it is shown that he dies peacefully in his sleep.

Production
In December 2021, after the success of Vinodhaya Sitham, Samuthirakani was invited to remake the film in Telugu. However, he did not want to return as an actor and intended to cast another star in it. In February 2023, the film was officially launched, with Pawan Kalyan alongside Sai Dharam Tej, who would essay the roles of Samuthirakani and Thambi Ramaiah respectively, from the original version.

The film was under the tentative title PKSDT, as it featured Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej in the titular roles. Shortly, the title was announced as Bro in May 2023. The principal photography of the film began the same month in Hyderabad.

Later that month, Tej's character was announced as Markandeyulu "Mark".

Music
The music for the film is composed by Thaman S in his third collaboration with Pawan Kalyan after Vakeel Saab and Bheemla Nayak, and his sixth collaboration with Sai Tej after Thikka, Winner, Jawaan, Prati Roju Pandage, and Solo Brathuke So Better. The first single "My Dear Markandeya" released on July 8, 2023. The second single "Jaanavule" was released on July 15, 2023. The third single, "Theme of BRO", was released on 25 July 2023.

Theatrical
Bro was theatrically released on 28 July 2023.

Home media
Satellite rights are owned by Zee Telugu and digital streaming rights by Netflix. The film premiered on Netflix from 25 August 2023 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages. It was premiered on television on Zee Telugu on 15 October 2023.

Reception
Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "BRO could’ve been the poignant tale of a man who had to grow up a little too fast and, in the process, forgets to make the most of his life. What you get instead is a film that loses steam as it progresses with the messaging lost in the chaos of it all. This one is a missed opportunity." Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "The biggest drawback of BRO is its stage-play-like treatment of the story. It is too artificial to be believable. The predictable narrative makes us want more than the fun exchanges between Time and Markandeya." Raghu Bandi of The Indian Express rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Pawan Kalyan again plays god in a film that takes his political persona one step further." Janani K of India Today rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "What worked in the Tamil version failed to work in the Telugu reboot because of its commercialisation." Priyanka Sundar of Firstpost rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "A few good laughs in a movie that spans 2 hours 5 minutes is not enough. The film more often than not placed higher value on nostalgia than story telling." Subhash K Jha of Zoom TV rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Poor Sai Dharam Tej! His character is constantly grumpy and cranky as if the actor, more than the character, knows time is running out." Sowmya Rajendran of Moneycontrol reviewed the film and wrote "Bro could have been an interesting commentary on how patriarchy forces men into the provider role, and how pressuring that is."