The comedy is stale, but there are bits that make you laugh, notes Divya Nair.
Actor Prithviraj's second directorial venture Bro Daddy is a light-hearted film that deals with twin subjects of unwed and late pregnancies.
John Kattadi (Mohanlal), who runs a steel business, and his wife Anna (Meena) want to get their son Eesho (Prithviraj) married.
John's bestie Kurian (Lalu Alex) and Elsy (Kaniha) also want to see their daughter Anna (Kalyani Priyadarshan) settle down with an 'advertising professional', someone who can take over their family business.
Unaware to their parents, Eesho and Anna are in a live-relationship in Bangalore, their city of work.
While Anna wants to buy some time for Eesho to talk about their relationship at home, they discover that she is two months pregnant.
Surprisingly, the gynaecologist they consult does not give them an option but to accept the blessing which in reality is an 'accidental pregnancy'.
Meanwhile, John also informs Eesho that his mother is expecting a second child.
After a lot of struggle, Eesho takes John's help to fix things.
Initially, it seemed like the makers wanted to recreate Badhaai Ho in Malayalam, but with a twist.
But as the story progresses, you realise how conveniently misinformed the team is.
First of all, it's hard to digest Prithviraj as this young advertising professional and Lal's son. He's 39 and if he wants to direct, he could have easily cast someone younger. But looks like Prithvi is heading Akshay Kumar's way and we shouldn't be surprised if he will play a college student in his next.
The comedy is stale, but there are bits that make you laugh.
One of the better scenes is the film is when John and Kurien meet Happy Pinto (Soubin Shahir), a wedding planner who presents them with outrageous ideas to make their children's big day memorable.
Even in his brief intervention, Soubin offers a refreshing and hilarious segment that stays with you.
As always, Lalettan and Lalu Alex breathe life into their characters almost making you wonder if such parents are for real.
Prithviraj enjoys his attention as the 'successful and creative ad director' who is also smart and good looking, as we are often reminded.
Kalyani Priyadarshan is effortless in her part as the IT professional, who loves her Zara and Tommy Hilfiger as much she can't make a good coffee.
While Bro Daddy presents two different instances of unplanned pregnancies, it offers a routine and convenient solution.
It's surprising that the same industry gave us films like Sara which deals with pregnancy and abortion in a much more mature fashion.
There is a heart-warming message that John shares with Eesho, which also seems to be the point of this film.
John explains the beginning of parenthood in a beautiful way.
He says, when you birth a child, it also gives birth to a new mother and a new father. You will realise this in the eight-nine months when you prepare yourself for the journey.
Prithviraj's idea here obviously was to glorify parenthood and cover up mistakes through acceptance.
But what happened to the Eesho, who was not ready for marriage, who until some time ago had ambitious plans about his career?
What if either of the parents had not agreed or one of the partners had a different thought?
Can a marriage fix an accidental pregnancy?
Can simply watching someone else get pregnant and happy make you dream about parenthood?
That's the limited or mass audience this film's subject will appeal to.
And if we can accept Akshay Kumar as Sara Ali Khan's father, we can definitely welcome Prithviraj as Lalettan's young son.
Bro Daddy streams on Disney Hotstar
