‘Brahma Anandam’ movie review: A half-baked dramedy

‘Brahma Anandam’ movie review: Brahmanandam, Vennela Kishore shine in this half-baked dramedy

Brahma Anandam presents an intriguing premise — real-life father and son, Brahmanandam and Raja Goutham, portraying an estranged grandfather-grandson duo named after the legendary comedian. Director RVS Nikhil builds on this quirky concept but overcomplicates it with excessive subplots, ultimately diluting its impact.

Brahma is a rare protagonist who can laugh at himself. Once a celebrated child artist, he struggles to evolve into a skilled theatre actor, finding little success. His fractured family dynamics, unresolved grief over losing his father, and his lack of commitment to his girlfriend, Tara, add to his emotional turmoil. His only constants are his cousin Raasi and childhood friend Giri, grounding him in an otherwise chaotic world.

When a promising career opportunity knocks, Brahma rekindles his relationship with his estranged grandfather, Ananda Rammurthy. As the story shifts from the city to a sleepy hamlet, hidden agendas unravel, and chaos ensues. The director, however, takes too long to get to the point, stalling with unnecessary detours to conceal a predictable plot twist.

The film ambitiously juggles several themes — the struggles of aspiring actors, the decline of Telugu theatre, transactional family relationships, and the loneliness of the elderly — yet fails to explore any of them meaningfully. While its intentions are commendable, the storytelling leans too heavily on its leads without delivering genuine depth.

The first half, though inconsistent, at least delivers some laughs. Brahmanandam, Raja Goutham, and Vennela Kishore share crackling chemistry, each bringing their signature comedic style. However, as the film progresses, its momentum falters under redundant, meandering writing.

The central premise — an elderly couple’s blossoming romance within a grandfather-grandson drama — gets lost along the way. The narrative takes a conservative stance, attempting a comedy-of-errors approach to the relationship while skimming over the inter-generational conflict. The emotional beats never truly land.

In its pursuit of reuniting Murthy with his love interest, Jyothi, Brahma’s character development is sidelined. Murthy’s delayed remorse over neglecting his grandson does not resonate, and the subplot involving Jyothi’s son Manohar’s exam woes feels shoehorned.