Title: The Miranda Brothers

Director: Sanjay Rajprakash Gupta

Cast: Harshvardhan Rane, Meezaan, Manasi Joshi Roy, Rahul Dev, Surya Sharma, Jeniffer Piccinato, Sahher Bambba

Where: Streaming on JioCinema

Rating: 3 Stars

This film tries to kick Bollywood's brotherhood trope into new territory with its tale of sacrifice, bonding, and—yes—football. Adapted from the 2010 Venezuelan film Hermano, it arrives with promise but misses the goal like many corner kicks. This version a sentimental portrayal of brotherly love, sadly ends up feeling like a diluted masala film, struggling to blend emotion with its sports setting.

The premise has potential. Set against Goa's picturesque backdrop, the film uses football as its primary setting, an oft-seen choice for Bollywood. But soon, the songs arrive. Every 12 minutes, the narrative halts for musical interludes that add little to the plot. The masala flavour typical of commercial cinema feels out of place here, undercutting the film’s grit with unnecessary romance and dance sequences. One could argue the film is catering to its audience, but it panders more than it innovates.

The film centres around two young men—Julio and Regalo. After widow Sussie (Manasi Joshi Roy) finds an abandoned child, she raises him alongside her biological son, Julio (Harshavardhan Rane). The brothers grow up with a shared passion for football, using it as their ticket out of their challenging lives. When Regalo, played by a promising yet uneven Meezaan, gets a chance to join the Goa Football League, he refuses unless his older brother Julio is also included, a promise he made to his mother because, you know, Mother’s wish—the ultimate Bollywood trope.

But then tragedy strikes, testing the brothers' unshakable bond. Descending into conflict, the film shifts into a tale of sacrifice and emotional upheaval, with their footballing future hanging in the balance. While the original film masterfully balanced crime and sports, this adaptation gets bogged down by its Bollywood excess. The romance between Regalo and Sol (Sahher Bambba), and Julio and Issabella (Jennifer Piccinato) feels shoehorned in. It disrupts the genuine brotherly connection that should have driven the narrative, leaving the emotional core feeling diluted.

On the acting front, Harshavardhan Rane delivers a brooding performance, doing his best with what the script allows. Meejaan, though earnest, often falters in key emotional scenes, giving us moments that feel more scripted than lived-in. The rest of the cast, sadly, are as flat as Goa’s serene beaches, boxed into stereotypes that leave no room for nuance or depth.

Technically, the film shines. The production values are solid, and the football sequences, though few, are well-shot. The soundtrack, on the other hand, feels like it’s on autopilot, with familiar beats that won’t stay with you beyond the end credits.

In the end, the film is more a misstep than a masterpiece. For a film that tries to blend sports, drama, and familial loyalty, it ends up being formulaic—one that could have reached for a goal but, alas, settled for a throw-in.