Tickets for Brahmastra, Chapter One: Shiva, the first in a trilogy of Indian fantasy films, are now on sale. Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, will premiere on September 9th. The director, Ayan Mukerji, devoted a decade to the massive CGI extravaganza, and trailers and featurettes have shown that they drew inspiration from Indian mythology.
As its Sanskrit name suggests, Brahmstra refers to a supernatural weapon with the potential to wipe out entire worlds. The preview hinted at a massive fantasy romance revolving around a guy who joins a secret society of superhuman creatures entrusted with preserving Earth and its inhabitants, much like the Eternals. Acting legends Amitabh Bachchan and Nagarjuna Akkineni also appear in Brahmastra. The antagonist is played by Mouni Roy, and there are strong rumours that none other than the great Shah Rukh Khan will make a cameo appearance in the film as another superhuman figure. In 2014, it was reported that production on the film would begin, and it has been nothing but a nightmare ever since.
Production started at the beginning of 2018 and wrapped up earlier this year. With numerous high-budget Hindi films recently failing at the box office, Brahmastra comes at a particularly perilous time for the industry. The recent failure of Kapoor’s gangster epic Shamshera (as well as Aamir Khan’s Forrest Gump adaptation Laal Singh Chaddha) shocked the film industry and critics. These days, the general public feels that “imports” from South Indian businesses are smothering the domestic Bollywood film market. Even though Brahmastra is being promoted as a “pan-Indian” picture (i.e., it will likely be successful in theatres across the country), it is still what Westerners would call a “Bollywood” film. Keep in mind that the term “Bollywood” solely refers to the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry.
There are also numerous thriving native language film industries, particularly in the south. This means that Brahmastra’s success at the box office is far from certain. With a projected budget of about $40 million (expensive by Indian standards), the picture will have to do remarkably well not just in India, but also worldwide. And this is possibly why the producers have called on filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli to help “present” the picture, especially to South Indian viewers.
The guy behind blockbuster classics like Baahubali: The Beginning and its more successful sequel, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, presented himself to Western audiences earlier this year with his smash hit period epic RRR. He is widely considered to be the most prominent and respected working director in the country today. Star Studios, Dharma Productions, Prime Focus, and Starlight Pictures all contributed to the production of Brahmastra.
Synopsis
Set in modern-day India, the tale is structured around the presence of Astras of power that has been protected by a group called the Brahmānsh since Ancient Vedic times. The most potent of these Astras, named after the most formidable weapon of the Gods, is the Brahmāstra. Some unknown evil is attempting to reawaken the Brahmastra, which poses a threat to our familiar reality. The new film has hero Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor) venture into this mystical world of Astras where he learns of his strange link to the Brahmānsh and the Brahmāstra. Shiva finds the truth both about his own destiny as a heavenly hero and about the enormous power that resides within him, the power of Fire.