Bloody Brothers

Good work in all aspects - direction, ensemble cast, acting (esp by the two lead actors - Zeeshan Ayyub and Jaideep Ahlawat), script, location... good dose of intelligent humor too

Hope season 2 is released soon!

Do watch this series!

A prime example of a wasted opportunity; and I'm telling this with a sorry face and a heavy heart. The story had enormous potential, the script itself had extensive possibilities; but due to clueless direction and an awful write-up, the objective had not come to fruition. That's very tragic, given how promising things looked in the middle.

When you've got talents like Zeeshan Ayub, Jaideep Ahlawat on board, you got to do better, you have to go that extra mile, there should be no room for excuse. I'm quite frustrated seeing them like this; meagre reflections of their true selves. Not just them, the whole ensemble seemed confused, nonchalant in doing whatever that they do. As a direct consequence, you can notice the clear absence of energy & excitement.

I'm not saying the series is horrible, I have seen far worse, trust me. And in comparison, the show does work, albeit in parts, but that is only for short periods. Barring that, nearly everything feels chaotic and incredibly convoluted. I firmly believe, had it been under a competent direction (with nicer writing); the outcome would have been considerably different. Alas! That was just not meant to be.

So far in the first season of 6 episodes this has been a riveting series with an excellent storyline ,screenplay and dialogues. The acting by everyone has been above average,with Jaideep and the lady acting as Sheila being particularly brilliant.

8/10.

Bloody Brothers (2022) : Series Review -

A murder mystery storyline can be handled in two ways. One, it can be dark and intense, and two, it can be spoofy and humorous, while the thrill factor remains constant in both. The British TV series Guilt (2019) was a hit and subsequently premiered in America, France, Australia, Sweden and some other countries. Of course, the storyline was interesting, but the presentation made it different from others. It isn't anything like what we have seen in British crime comedies made during the 50s and 90s or even until the 'Coen Brothers' formula, but somewhere it had references and nobody can deny it. ZEE5's latest crime-comedy-thriller is a remake of Guilt, so we all know from the beginning that the narrative revolves around a lot of things, with the basic theme of "guilt" in the middle. There's a big difference between our culture and British culture, so it is not possible to implant all those conflicts just as it is in Indian dramas and ask the audience to believe them. The same happened with Applause Entertainment and BBC Studios' last series, "Rudra", which was a crime thriller too, but like stated in the first line, it was made in another way - dark and intense (opposite to the fun way utilised for Bloody Brothers). You can copy the storyline, you can copy the dialogues and translate them into other languages, but you just can't copy the culture and their own stature of struggle. Well, that's the main issue here.

Two brothers, one blunder, and a bloody mess of a situation, that's all we have got to see in Bloody Brothers. Oh, that makes its title look appropriate too. The story revolves around two brothers, Jaggi (Jaideep Ahlawat) and Daljeet (Zeeshan Ayyub), whose lives spin out of control when a tragic car accident occurs. As expected, they try to cover the crime up, and when they think that they are safe, they learn about upcoming new threats. What follows is a series of lies to conceal the truth. However, as more lies are told and more people get involved, it becomes impossible for the two brothers to escape the bloody mess unharmed. Bloody Bothers makes a passable mess of all these elements, including the love story, toxic relationships, work pressure, sexual problems, and so on.

Jaideep Ahlawat hasn't really given any bad performances recently, so it's easy to believe him whenever he tries to convince you of something. Jaggy is a mastermind, but somewhere dumb too. Hence, the connect is lost, but Jaideep keeps him alive with his clever act. On the other hand, Zeeshan Ayyub is the same immature guy you see every day in your friend-circles. Maybe that's why you like him, but moreover, Zeeshan's perfect dialogue delivery makes it more happening than expected. Shruti Seth and Mugdha Godse look damn hot in every scene, and those close-ups are going to stay with you even after the show is over. Tina Desai is a perfect urban girl with that typical English accent, whereas Maya Alagh takes you by surprise. The supporting cast has done well too. Jitendra Joshi, Satish Kaushik, and Yuri Suri have all delivered fine performances, and you just can't hate these guys, even if you want to.

Bloody Bothers has a total of six episodes. The first one runs for over 40 minutes (only to set things up), but then, the next 5 episodes are shorter (only to finish things sooner). It starts off on a very funny note, so much so that you don't even realise that you're entering into a murder mystery. Even the characters don't take the mother seriously, and it sounds a little kiddish. However, it starts grabbing hold from episode two and then keeps the flow going with new characters and multiple dramatic ingredients. The problem appears in the last two episodes when you see that the entire buildup around the murder, relationship, and crime ends up without any solid textures. A woman having an extramarital affair with a person of the same sex isn't reasonable enough to justify the unsatisfied male side. Rather, it creates an unacceptable mess. The same goes with bromance and romance too. Let's keep the spoilers away.

Director Shaad Ali tasted decent success in the 2000's decade, but his filmography in the last decade isn't anything that you'd care to watch. Even with his most acclaimed work, "Soorma," he had some issues, but let's not discuss them here. With a remake of Guilt, he could have added more input from his previous works (those 2000s decade films), but he chose to play it safe by not disturbing anything from the original source material. Yes, that does work sometimes, but not completely. Bloody Bothers entertains you, and it also has some thrill factor attached to a philosophically ambitious climax that you may enjoy, depending on your taste. But, it's missing something, somewhere, especially in the ending portion. Or perhaps it will reveal that much-needed surprise in the sequel? Let's wait for it, and until then, let's enjoy what we have. Overall, an average remake to the Hit British series made quite watchable by the actors.

RATING - 5/10*

A six-part Zee5 series directed by Shaad Ali, Bloody Brothers is a thriller that shuns the usual trappings of the genre. No blowouts, no gunfights, no chases, no heavy-handed confrontations - it thrives on sustained restraint. Its pace isn't manic. Director of photography Vikash Nowlakha frames the slow crackle in an unflashy manner that does not take the focus away from the people on the screen while creating the requisite visual ambience. The images breathe and create room for continual intrigue.

As the show opens, a sloshed Jagjeet 'Jaggi' Grover (Jaideep Ahlawat) and his teetotaler brother Daljeet Grover (Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub) are on their way back from a wedding reception. The sober one is at the wheel. Their car hits a man (Asrani in a cameo) on a dark stretch outside a bungalow. The brothers pick up the lifeless body and carry it into the living room and leave it on a chair. Jaggi and Daljeet have no reason to suspect that there might be an eyewitness to the accident. They believe that can return to their daily lives without anybody in the world coming to know their secret. But they soon realize that their optimism is misplaced.

Jaggi is a married lawyer who has little time for his wife Priya (Shruti Sheth). Daljeet runs a bookstore and falls in love with Sophie (Tina Desai), the dead man's niece who has been bequeathed a large book collection. Priya wants a baby; Daljeet needs a friend. Both have surprises in store. Bloody Brothers is also about three women - one (Priya) in a marriage that isn't quite working, one (Sophie) forced to run away from a toxic relationship and another (Sheila) who is anything but a helpless old widow who is past her best days. The three actresses who play these characters - Sheth, Desai and Alagh respectively - completely own the parts and make them come alive.

Bloody Brothers, written by Siddharth Hirwe, Anuj Rajoria, Riya Poojary and Navnit Singh Raju, is unfailingly watchable, if not dizzyingly exciting, because of Jaideep Ahlawat and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, who are consistently in their elements without having to push themselves too much. Through muted methods, they achieve maximum power.

Satish Kaushik as a criminal mastermind who brooks no opposition steals a bit of their thunder, but the two lead actors deliver performances that are stunning in terms of control and the way they play off against each other. Not once is either of them off the mark in articulating the repercussions of the turmoil within and around them. The rest of the principal cast - Tina Desai, Shruti Seth, Jitendra Joshi and Maya Alagh - are no less impressive as they flesh out people who do not shy away from giving their unsavoury and scheming (and, in a case or two, the simply adventurous) sides a free rein.

Neither delirious nor demonstrably pacy, Bloody Brothers holds one's attention all the way thanks its tonal consistency and the quality of the performances .