'The Miranda Brothers' review: Uneven football drama scores own goal
Harshvardhan Rane has the misfortune of headlining below-average films in rapid succession: First, Savi (May 2024) and now, The Miranda Brothers. TMB has a wafer-thin plot and hollow script that doesn't let the cast soar high, and despite some seemingly serious points at the heart of the film, you couldn't care less about anything transpiring onscreen. Helmed by Sanjay Gupta, it's streaming on JioCinema.
Story of two close brothers
TMB follows the close-knit relationship between brothers and gifted football players Regalo (Meezaan) and Julio (Rane). Nothing ever drives a wedge between them, but one day, when their mother Susan (Manasi Joshi Roy) is shockingly murdered, they intensely argue about how to find the culprit and seek revenge. Rahul Dev stars as a local goon, while Sanjay Suri plays their coach.
All characters seem to have been written hastily
The shaky, wobbly film struggles to find a sense of purpose and despite multiple characters, doesn't know what to do with most of them. Only Susan's character comes across as believable and well-etched-out; the rest of the cast clamors for screentime. Worse, Julio and Regalo are in relationships, but their girlfriends are so underwritten and expendable that you won't notice when they go off-screen.
Jarring, awkward dialogues and clumsy overall treatment
TMB tries some foreshadowing, but it falls flat because the screenplay is all over the place, desperately in need of an anchor. Clunky dialogues, like, "Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother," bog the movie down, and Regalo and Julio refer to each other as "big bro" and "kid bro." No sense of seriousness at any juncture.
Too many unexplored ideas and squandered potential
When the film starts, you assume it'll be about the rupturing of the bond between the brothers, or centered around their adventures on the football fields. However, the movie doesn't reap what it sows; there's the sub-plot of an unplanned pregnancy, a local drug peddler, and activism for environmental protection. TMB doesn't know what to do with any of it.
Everything is drab and too predictable
It's the kind of movie where you can sense a joke from two scenes away, and it's completely haphazard, so even when the story progresses, it leaves you unimpressed. A story like this—sons seeking justice for their slain mother—should be pregnant with possibilities, but sadly, TMB is blind to the possibilities of its premise. It's brought down to its knees by its flimsy storyline.
Actors try to keep it going, but to no avail
The film sometimes comes alive when the story shifts to the football field and becomes momentarily immersive. Rane and Meezaan are both passable, while Suri does justice to his role. As for Dev, he brings a lot of heft to his scenes, but he has such a limited presence that you'll forget he is a part of the film at all.
Disappoints on all fronts; give it a miss
The Miranda Brothers had all the potential to be a taut, engaging movie and could have perfectly balanced the interpersonal drama and the football scenes, but it fizzles out within minutes. It's less than two hours long but feels longer, and considering Gupta's experience (Kaante and Kaabil), it's surprising how disappointing it is. The Miranda Brothers isn't worth your time. 1/5 stars.
