The Miranda Brothers Movie Review: There have been numerous films based on football/soccer over the years that have had compelling narratives which make you sit on the edge of your seats, getting completely immersed in the reel-life play. You have the 2001 Stephen Chow film Shaolin Soccer, 2002’s Gurinder Chadha directed Bend It Like Beckham and the more recent Ajay Devgn starrerMaidaan. Sanjay Rajprakash Gupta’s The Miranda Brothers, on the other hand, really tries to live up to that scale of immersive play on OTT. But does the Harshvardhan Rane, Meezaan Jaffri football saga manage to get a centre spot? Ruefully, the film dribbles, and tackles but misses the goal by a long shot.
In a Goan suburb plagued by a drug gang, an orphan’s life takes a dramatic turn when he is rescued from a life of despair among the trash by a single mother and her young son. Embracing the warmth of his elder brother, the two boys develop an unbreakable bond, fueled by their shared passion for football. Their talent shines as they both aspire to become star players, navigating the complexities of their challenging environment.
While the premise of The Miranda Brothers sounds promising, lackluster dialogues, hasty editing and a meandering plotline does a lot of disservice to the film. Writers Sameer Hafiz and Milap Zaveri tried creating a compelling story of sibling affection, loss and how trauma affects individuals, but somehow that never translates to the screen.
Harshvardhan Rane and Meezaan, the brothers, both good actors in their own terms, never really get into the skin of either Julio Miranda or Regalo Miranda. Their camaraderie, occasionally heartwarming, though never fully etched out, fails to resonate due to the duress of a choppy script. The Bollywood songs, forced into the narrative do nothing to help either.
Manasi Joshi Roy, who plays the mother Susan Miranda, though evocative, falters due to a lack of creative dialogues, while Sanjay Suri as Coach Carter feels washed out (or perhaps the makers envisioned him in this manner). Rahul Dev as Morocho remains a complete miscast, having nothing to do in the larger narrative. However, Max, played by Surya Sharma, effectively could have nurtured the plot to flower, if given a chance. The complexity of his role (without giving any spoilers) was needed to actually enhance the film’s effect.
In all, The Miranda Brothers, now running on Jio Cinema, is perhaps a masterclass in how not to present a sports film. The on-field action lacks the excitement and authenticity of other great sports dramas like Lagaan or The Beautiful Game. With a weak plot twist and a half-baked climax, the film fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion. Top marks to both Harshvardhan and Meezaan for their perfectly sculpted bodies, if only the film itself was not so flabby.