With Covid-19 cases still rising, the film industry has been experiencing a slump in film openings. The releases of big budget films like Radhe Shyam, and Acharya, have been postponed.
Some filmmakers are even opting for a direct premiere of their films on OTT platforms, including Vikram and Dhruv Vikram-starrer Mahaan, which will release on Amazon Prime Video.
Silverscreen India brings to you a compilation of reviews of films, which have had both theatrical and online releases.
Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s second directorial, Bro Daddy features Mohanlal in the lead role. It also stars Prithviraj and has an ensemble cast that includes Kalyani Priyadarshan, Meena, Lalu Alex, Murali Gopy, Kaniha, and Soubin. It is written by Sreejith N and Bibin Maliekal, who earlier told Silverscreen India that Bro Daddy is a “feel-good family-entertainer with casual fun elements.”
Sukumaran’s debut film Lucifer, also starred Mohanlal in the lead role.
Aswathy Gopalakrsihnan of Silverscreen India, writes that the film is centred around a non-issue. She calls it a “blunt comedy where the most laughable joke is the actors’ desperation to entertain the viewer.”
She adds that while both Sukumaran and Mohanlal fail to generate laughter, actor Lalu Alex is the only one to deliver an effective and level-headed performance, in the film.
Vishal Menon of Film Companion, writes that the film is “lightweight with an ad-film aesthetic that remains watchable even when there’s not a lot happening.”
For Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, the film’s first half is funny with some interesting turns, and credits the humour to situational twists.
“What truly works in Bro Daddy is Mohanlal and Prithviraj’s chemistry and excellent comic timing. It is nice to see the two stars using their gift in a clean film sans aggressive masculinity. Together, they sustain Bro Daddy even when its storyline gets progressively thin,” she writes. Vetticad notes that Alex comes with the most substantial character graph.
Bro Daddy has an IMDb rating of 7.4.
Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal
The Vishal Venkat-directorial features actors Ashok Selvan, Manikandan, Nasser, Rithvika, KS Ravikumar, and Banupriya, among several others.
While the title is borrowed from late Tamil writer, journalist, filmmaker, and activist, Jayakanthan’s 1970 novel of the same, the plot takes a different spin.
For Vishal Venkat of Film Companion, the film’s beginning and ending are obvious.
Recommended
He adds that the film hardly tries to impress, and writes, “The film expects the audience to be familiar with the way it juggles multiple storylines so it doesn’t have to go the extra mile to do anything gimmicky (like the recent Kasada Thapara) to remind you of its cleverness.”
The film has an IMDb rating of 8.8.
Apart from the aforementioned films, multiple others are currently streaming on OTT platforms, after their theatrical runs. These include Shyam Singha Roy on Netflix, Akhanda and Tadap on Disney+ Hotstar, and Bhoothakaalam on SonyLIV.