“Brahmāstra: Part One - Shiva” released in theaters globally on Thursday, September 9, and initiated a step into uncharted territory for Indian cinema. “Brahmāstra” directed and written by Ayan Mukherji and produced by Dharma Productions, is one of the most highly anticipated Hindi-language movies of the last decade.
The movie is the first of its kind in the industry as it embarks on the journey of marrying Hindu mythology, classic Bollywood movie masala, and Marvel-esque special effects all into one film.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions and scheduling conflicts, the movie took over five years to come to fruition and has been one of Bollywood’s most expensive project’s to date with a budget of over 410 crore (approximately $51 million).
“Brahmāstra” is supposed to be the first movie in the “Astraverse” trilogy and introduces the audience to the world of Shiva and his mysterious connection to fire. The Astraverse is one of Bollywood’s first attempts at creating a universe similar to that of Harry Potter or Marvel.
The movie begins with hand-drawn animations of ancient India describing a group of sages in the Himalayas and how they were blessed by the Gods for their devoted mediation. They were given “Brahm-Shakti” (cosmic energy) which is composed of different “astras” (spiritual weapons).
The most powerful of these astras is the “Brahmāstra” which, if not controlled, is capable of destroying the entire universe. These sages vowed to protect the Brahmāstra and world from other powerful astras and became a secret society called the Brahmansh.
The rest of the movie focuses on the main character, Shiva (played by Ranbir Kapoor), who is understood to be innately connected to the Brahmastra, but does not yet know it. Since he was born, Shiva feels a connection to fire and is unable to be burned by it. Shiva meets Isha (played by Alia Bhatt) and is immediately infatuated with her. Their love story moves quickly and the audience is able to tell that Isha’s love ignites Shiva’s powers.
The movie then begins to expand on the dangerous nature of the Brahmastra as we are introduced to more of its recipients. The audience, Shiva and Isha all learn about the Brahmastra and the evil forces led by Junoon (played by Mouni Roy) that are also trying to gain control of the weapon. Shiva is led to the Brahmansh and must learn to control his powers in order to defeat Junoon to ensure that the Brahmastra doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
As a lover of Bollywood, I was impatiently awaiting the release of the film and was able to watch it on the second day of its release. I walked into the theater before reading any reviews, hoping that the five years I had waited would have been worth it.
After watching it, I’m not exactly sure that they were. I had always imagined that if there was an aspect of the movie that I would have been disappointed by, it would have been the special effects and CGI, as it was new territory for the industry. However, that was the aspect of the movie that I enjoyed the most. It was the writing and the acting that let me down.
If no one in the movie spoke at all, I believe that it would have been a far greater film. The dialogue presented in this film left nothing to the imagination. It felt like adults were not meant to watch this film.
Every emotion, every feeling, every thought that the characters felt was vocalized through childish conversations. My least favorite and most disappointing dialogue was one that described the broken pieces of the Brahmastra as a pizza. It felt childish and jarring to hear that the main device of the film be reduced down like that. The movie’s dialogue has been ridiculed so much that there is a whole reddit thread dedicated to its mediocrity.
“This dialogue BOILED MY BLOOD. I was about to leave for Ayaan Mukherjee’s residence when I heard it,” a Reddit user commented in response to one of the conversations discussed.
The screenplay was rushed and underdeveloped in comparison to the overall grandeur of the film. While the cinematography of the film was beautiful and it presented India and Hindu mythology in a grandiose way, the lackluster delivery and lazy writing ruined the environment presented on screen. It’s quite astonishing that this film took five years to produce, yet it generated a product that was this underdeveloped. The creators might as well have taken another year and written a comprehensive narrative.
Even if you chose to suspend belief and ignore the dialogue, the film’s pacing is unbalanced. Some aspects of the film, like Shiva’s breakdown in front of Isha in his apartment, felt way too long and overdone, while others, like training montages and introductions of the Brahmansh, were just grazed over. The creators of this film seemed to misunderstand the larger attraction of the movie: the idea of the Brahmastra. Rather, they put the subplot, the love story between Shiva and Isha, in the spotlight.
Shiva and Isha’s love story might have been interesting if it was done well, but instead, it moved at the speed of light and left the audience confused as to how two strangers were now suddenly lovers for life. The scenes between the pair were the hardest to bear, as they seemed forced and even awkward.
The screen featured a monotone Ranbir Kapoor and an inexperienced Alia Bhatt as Shiva and Isha with almost no natural on-screen chemistry, which is embarrassing, given that the actors are married. Kapoor’s acting came across as juvenile and amateur when he appeared after scenes with Indian cinema’s biggest icons including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Nagarjuna, and it left me believing that he was a weak main lead. It’s hard to pinpoint whether this is due to the lack of conviction in his acting or the overall weak nature of the screenplay and character writing.
On the other hand, this movie gave a lot of new avenues to veteran actors to venture and showcased the reasons for their longevity. While watching this film, I wanted nothing more than to know about how Shah Rukh Khan’s character gained his astra or how Amitabh Bachchan’s character became the Guru.
The conviction of the characters salvaged the overall essence of the Brahmastra universe. Another actor, Mouni Roy, who plays the villain Junoon, absolutely nailed her role and dazzled whenever she appeared on screen. Her acting and her aura as Junoon managed to overcome the awful script she had been given.
Even through the complaints I had about this film, I would still recommend it to friends and Bollywood fans. While not the best movie I’ve ever seen, this movie represents something unprecedented, and therefore, I want it to work. My desire for this movie and this franchise to be great will take me back to the movie theater if it is ever given a sequel.
The movie is currently in its fourth week in theaters and has managed to collect 400 crore (approximately $50 million) worldwide and is set to be a hit. It is the first Indian film to reach such numbers in the past three years, making the idea of a sequel a very real possibility.
The reception of the film and overall anticipation of the film begs the question of whether this film will contribute to the development or disaster of Bollywood. Will this project be shelved forever because of its lifeless script or will the hope of something better produce incredible results in the future?