Helmed by Karan Malhotra, 'Brothers', revolves around the family-ties that are gone sour. The hunks-- Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra hit the big screens with a bang and are seen essaying the role of brothers, David Fernandes and Monty Fernandes respectively, whereas Jackie Shroff plays the father of the two.

BROTHERS starts off with the release of Gary (Jackie Shroff) from a jail after having served imprisonment for (accidentally) killing his wife Maria (Shefali Shah). Upon his release from the jail, he is received by his son Monty (Sidharth Malhotra). When Gary asks Monty about his elder son David (Akshay Kumar), the story goes into a flashback mode which reflects the past life of Gary and all the reasons and incident that led him to be jailed.

So, Brothers is essentially Akshay Kumar's triumph, with some knock-out moments - and a few punches that fall flat. Gary Fernandes (Jackie) is a prize-fighter married to Maria (Shefali). They have one son, David (Akshay) - and then, Monty (Siddharth), born from Gary's extra-marital affair, appears.

All we are shown is an incoherent Jackie Shroff as Gary, sometimes drunk, at most times old, and at all times having difficulty in speaking. I mean, one has to really strain the ears to understand what he is speaking. David, the older guy (same father same mother) is quite fond of Monty (same father different mother) when his dad gets him home in one of the most absurd scenes in recent times.

It is often argued that remakes don't turn out to be as good as originals, but Dharma flick Brothers, which is the remake of Hollywood hit Warrior might just prove to be an exception to the rule, simply because the makers have infuse so much emotion and drama in the tale that without it, the film would have not been so enjoyable.

Making a sports-based film in India can work as a double-edged sword. If the audience here is allowed the luxury to see drama (melodrama, too) with just the exact amount of action and sport thrown in, the dish can turn out delectable. Oh, and did we mention the spicy 'special song'? Karan Malhotra, whose 2013 Agneepath had shattered numerous box office records and Aguamenti-ed lachrymal glands, has now given us Akshay Kumar-Sidharth Malhotra's Brothers.

'Brothers', an official remake of the 2011 film, 'Warrior', is about the Fernandes family that loves a special kind of sport, Mixed Martial Arts. And as we know by now, this sport means no stopping at anything when it comes to beating your opponent to a fine pulp. So no prizes for guessing what the always frowning Fernandes' do to fill their free time or whenever they are in need some extra cash.

'Brothers' uses a form of kinetic martial arts to foreground its story of two warring siblings, but it stays, at heart, a Karan Johar film : the crunching bones and spraying blood is as heavily underscored by we-are-family soppiness as it is with deafening background music. Result : a film that actually has a plot (officially adapted from Hollywood film 'Warriors', with shades of 'Fight Club' and 'Rocky' thrown in) riding on competent acts, but which squanders its advantages because of the treatment.

The story takes off with the release of Gary Fernandez (Jackie Shroff) from prison who is a ex-fighter. In a senile state now. Gary is received by his younger son, Monty (Sidharth Malhotra) while his eyes keep searching to see the elder one David (Akshay Kumar). What follows is a flashback of how Gary landed up in jail and how after their mother Maria's (Shefali Shah) death, Monty and David fall apart.

A remake of the highly entertaining and performance packed 2011 film Warrior, Brothers is a high-octane family drama set against the blood curdling backdrop of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra play brothers David and Monty. Sons of Jackie Shroff, they both grow up to become different people. While David leaves the street life and becomes a teacher, Monty still carries the torch of fighting he learnt from his dad as a kid.

How does a commoner in India understand MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)? It's something that allows you to throw punches like a street fighter without getting arrested. Well, this is what the two hysterical commentators of R2F (Right To Fight) keep repeating for most of the second half in director Karan Malhotra's Brothers, official remake of 2011 Hollywood film Warrior.

An overblown, ultra-violent melodrama, Brothers spills a lot of blood and breaks plenty of bones on the way to establishing the primacy of fraternal love. The collateral damage that the film inflicts isn't confined to the screen alone. Its excesses could drive the more sensitive and discerning of Bollywood pulp lovers off such fare for a spell, if not for good.

There was a time when Bollywood didn't bat an eyelid at copying a foreign film and passing the copy off as an original. With the arrival of Hollywood studios on Indian shores, those days are gone. Now there are legal teams that will take producers to court if there's a whiff of plagiarism and studio executives go around peddling the rights to existing films. Brothers is a product of this new era.

If the number of crucifixes in a film signify how pious it is, Brothers must have been shot in the Vatican. The characters - a Fernandes family from Mumbai - are Catholics, it is established early on, but director Karan Malhotra keeps labouring the point home - all the characters wear crucifixes around their necks, walk out of churches in slow-motion, have Jesus tattooed on their biceps, do a Hail Mary before getting their fingers bloody, and so forth. One man is even named Cross. Talk about using the lord's logo in vain, the entire film sees more dangling-cross action than George Michael's earlobe from back in the day.