Brahmin Bulls with Director Pailoor

Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Michael Lerner, Cassidy Freeman, Justin Bartha, Monica Raymund

Director: Mahesh Pailoor

Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor

Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji

Executive Producers: Shannon Akegarasu, Cary Lin, Sendhil Ramamurthy

Director of photography: Ben Kutchins

Production designer: Maya Sigel

Music: Gingger Shankar

Editor: Cary Lin

Genre: Drama

Length: 96 mins
Review by: Birjis Adeni Rashed

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4vyuB3bkKc

(The aim and intention of my reviews is to critique and recommend while not revealing the whole story to enjoy the movie when seen. But minor details have been divulged for a proper review!)

  This indie film was screened for audiences in Austin by Indie Meme on sept 11,2015,  after which we got to have a conversation with the director Mahesh Pailoor and his wife and co-writer Anu Pradhan.

The first question which popped my mind after watching this movie was why was this movie named Brahmin Bulls. Incidentally it popped on many others minds in the audience and it was the first question asked to the director in the dialog.   The answer was not very explanatory that it came  to the  director in his dream one night,  but related ‘Brahmin’  to the characters being Indian and stubborn and strong personalities like Bulls!

 Many writers among the Indian Diaspora often relate their perspective of being first generation Indian immigrants or second generation  American citizens straddling an American life with Indian cultural roots. The director and writers  Mahesh Pailoor and Anu Pradhan of Brahmin Bulls  try to  deviate from that route and portray a strayed father-son relationship and testosterone heavy drama. But the quirks, character jingoisms and references have some Indian essences  drawn from experiences as related  by the director too in his conversation.

The  understated storyline is about the  son,  an impetuous, egoistic Sid/Sidharth (Sendhil Ramamurthy), an architect having challenges and  frustrations in career and marriage and the father,  professor Ashok Sharma (Roshan Seth) trying to connect with the son and check if any  emotions still exist with his long lost love (Mary Steenburgen). The story is interrupted with sub plots of both father and son, cat drama, many tennis matches, and crashing a wedding.

Sid/Sidharth, is  a guy who comes out as heartless person dumping his wife’s cat on the side of a highway; self-absorbed with smoking pot; emotionally unattached, sleeping around while still wanting to get together with his separated wife; unhospitable to his father; and   confrontational with clients and colleagues. Sendhil Ramamurthy  with his scruffy  handsome looks and acting, shoulders the character  pretty well.  

The character of  widowed Prof Sharma is not so detailed out like Sidharth’s but traced out as a person who didn’t have a romantic relationship with his wife, blaming it on arranged marriage; had an extra marital affair with his TA ; has  relationship regrets; weak  bond with his  son. But his late inclination to connect with his son, bring color in his life, while being a conflicted personality, yet charmer is brought out well by Roshan Seth( Nehru of the movie Gandhi) . Being an experienced actor, he plays out this role effortlessly.

Though there are some well-played out controlled and tranquil scenes with Prof and  Helen( Mary Steenburgen) with  good performances, her role is very small.  The chemistry between Sid and his wife Ellie( Cassidy Freeman)  is nil, neither is her character developed, reiterating that this movie is a male-centric drama. Interestingly the director shared that the most difficult scene to shoot in the movie was the one between Sid and Ellie in her new home.

The movie plays well with light, photography, sound and music. The lighting and photography of the scenes of the house and even the tennis games are well depicted by the play of light changing from the broody to the bright. The Indian instrumental music weaves in  the scenes  exquisitely.

Strangely though great pains were made in building the main  characters, the drama doesn’t develop after the buildup. The  slow pace of the movie also worked against the movie. It was a movie of emotions, where you get sympathetic,  yet not moved!

But for a debut venture,  director Pailoor shows control, talent and  great promise.

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