Brother

<p>Karthik, a law student, is the troublesome son of Kumarasamy and Saraswathi. His penchant for questioning injustices often lands him in controversy. After complaining about his apartment’s condition, his neighbors confront his family, exacerbating his father’s high blood pressure. His elder sister, Anandhi, tries to reform Karthik by taking him to her in-laws’ strict, schedule-driven household in . Anandhi’s sister-in-law, Archana, secures him a job as a hospital bouncer, but Karthik is terminated for confronting a patient’s relative about exploiting the elderly man’s wealth. Anandhi then finds Karthik a job as a PT teacher at her school, but he clashes with the math teacher and is dismissed. The family’s caretaker, Keshav, arranges a psychiatric consultation with Dr. Phoenix Pushparaja, but Keshav’s leg injury derails the plan, frustrating Anandhi’s mother-in-law, Hemamalini. Anandhi’s father-in-law, Sivagurunathan , District Collector of the Nilgiris, takes Karthik under his wing, tasking him with observation only. Karthik witnesses Pannaikadu villagers protesting demanding electric fencing to protect against wild animals. Recognizing the collector’s inaction, Karthik advises the villagers on a self-immolation threat, prompting Sivagurunathan to expedite the installation of electric fencing. The household tensions escalate, prompting the inmates to demand Karthik’s expulsion. Anandhi intervenes, urging Karthik to apologize and stay. However, Sivagurunathan, his wife, and his son Aravind humiliate Anandhi and Karthik, forcing them to leave in self-respect. Kumarasamy and Saraswathi blame Karthik for the chaos and ruining Anandhi’s life. Kumarasamy seeks forgiveness from Aravind but is rebuffed. Enraged, Kumarasamy reveals a long-hidden secret: Karthik is adopted. He conditions his acceptance of Karthik on reuniting Anandhi with her in-laws. Undeterred, Karthik seeks forgiveness from Sivagurunathan’s family but faces humiliation. To drive home the gravity of his actions, Sivagurunathan dismisses Keshav from his household job. Archana, who has developed feelings for Karthik, recognizes his transformation and offers support. At a school function, Aravind is moved by his children’s emotions and reconciles with Anandhi. However, Sivagurunathan remains unforgiving, prompting Aravind to move into Karthik’s residence with his family. Hemamalini advises her husband to forgive, but he ridicules her, leading her to leave and join Karthik. Archana attempts to convince Sivagurunathan by proposing her marriage to Karthik, but he publicly humiliates her. Dr. Vinay, who harbors one-sided feelings for Archana and seeks to leverage Sivagurunathan’s influence, proposes marriage. However, Sivagurunathan’s ambitions for a promotion to the in Delhi are derailed. At a press conference, a video praising his actions in Pannaikadu village, narrated by Karthik, is showcased. Facing tough questions, Sivagurunathan resigns from his post, declaring the promotion unnecessary. Dr. Vinay abandons Sivagurunathan upon learning of his resignation. Karthik offers assistance, but Sivagurunathan refuses. En route home, thugs kidnap and assault him, but Karthik rescues him. Transformed, Sivagurunathan accepts Karthik as his son-in-law and consents to his marriage to Archana. He sheds his superiority complex, apologizes to Anandhi, and acknowledges Kumarasamy and Saraswathi’s exemplary parenting. At the wedding, Kumarasamy is stunned to see Keshav, revealed as the mastermind behind Sivagurunathan’s kidnapping. Sivagurunathan ultimately forgives Keshav. In mid December 2021, narrated a script to , which the actor was interested to act in. was reported to compose the score, and was reported to play the lead female role, however, the makers finalised . A puja was held on 3 August 2022, while the official launch was made on 5 August. was announced being a part of the cast in mid August. She was reported to play Ravi’s sister in the film. The title was revealed on 18 September 2023. commenced on 5 August 2022, with the first schedule in . Chawla started filming her portions in mid August. The final schedule commenced in early September 2023. Filming was completed by February 2024. The music and background score is composed by , in his fourth collaboration with Ravi after (2008), (2011) and (2017); second with Rajesh after (2012). It also marks his return to composing after a two-year hiatus. Later, the production house announced that the audio rights for the film was secured by . The first single “Makkamishi” was released on 20 June 2024. was released worldwide on 31 October 2024 in theatres, coinciding with , clashing with and . The film began streaming on from 29 November 2024. The post-theatrical satellite rights of the film was bought by . received mixed reviews from critics as well as audience criticising the outdated storyline. Abhinav Subramaniam of gave 3/5 stars and wrote “Brother is enjoyable in parts, though the soap-opera vibes detract from its appeal.” Simran Khan of gave 3/5 stars and wrote “Despite its predictable elements and some-what boring moments, succeeds in delivering a watchable experience.[…] Overall, it offers a delightful mix of comedy and drama that appeals to audiences of all ages.” Goutham S of gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote “Brother is a formulaic comedy movie that provides little entertainment.” Janani K of gave 2/5 stars and wrote “Brother is yet another redundant film that offers nothing new.” Avinash Ramachandran of gave 2/5 stars and wrote “Brother is just another disappointing addition to these attempts to reclaim past glory, and all we can do is probably send him an SMS saying its okay, Boss, we will always have OKOK.” Anusha Sundar of gave 2/5 stars and wrote “Brother is a film that is redundant and non-charming in every possible way.” Praveen Sudevan of wrote “Had Rajesh chosen to create a straight-up family drama without the forced comedic bits, might have worked better. Instead, it ends up neither funny nor serious enough to make an impact.” Akshay Kumar of wrote “This mishmash of genres has effectively diluted the film’s core, rendering it inconsequential.”</p>