Movie: Brahmastra
Rating: 2.75/5
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Mouni Roy
Director: Ayan Mukherjee
Produced By: Karan Johar
Release Date: September 9th, 2022
Every major industry in India has one massive film that they can truly be proud of. Tollywood has Baahubali and RRR, Sandalwood has KGF, Kollywood has Robot, and coming up with Ponniyin Selvan. Similarly, the Malayalam industry usually known for small to medium budget movies also delivered Mohanlal starter ‘Marakkar’. Bollywood has been lagging behind on this front and many believe Brahmastra to be a perfect addition to this club. Does this Ranbir Kapoor starter has enough fire and box-office stamina? Let’s find out.
Story: Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor) is a regular guy who works as a DJ. He and his girlfriend Isha (Alia Bhatt) lead a routine life till Shiva’s recurring dreams bring him face to face with Junoon (Mouni Roy) who is on a quest to create an all-powerful ‘Astra’. How is Shiva related to this supernatural world? Can he stop Junoon from her dangerous quest? How does he attain the powers to do so? This is what Brahmastra Part One- Shiva follows
Performances: Ranbir Kapoor has a dual-faceted role and while he is quite convincing in the role of a loverboy, his slight weakness in action-packed larger than life superhero becomes slightly evident. Certain dialogues look unnatural coming from him but, overall he shoulders the film quite efficiently. Alia Bhatt as Isha has limited scope and does well as Ranbir’s love interest and a guide to channel his powers . However, in an action-packed visually rich film, her character, and the love story looks slightly distracting. Nagarjuna as Nandiastra has a great screen presence and might give chills in some scenes. Amitabh Bachchan as Guru of Ranbir has a mellow presence in the film and is well cast. It is Mouni Roy, who took most of the audience by surprise and does a terrific job as the antagonist. In a film featuring so many stars, she holds her role quite well.
Analysis: This is Bollywood’s biggest supernatural film and great emphasis has been placed on visual effects which are the film’s biggest strengths, Brahmastra is a great splash of colours on screen and Ayan Mukherjee has borrowed several elements from Hollywood superhero blockbusters. While the film takes enough time to establish the world of ‘Astras’ it might feel like an information overload for many. Technically, Brahmastra is great in many places and a run time of just over 2 hours and 45 minutes is optimal for a story of this scale. Ayan Mukherjee has consciously focussed n giving some great commercial moments like interesting cameos and great interval block and this ploy might work out well at the box-office.
Plus Points:
- Concept
- Commercial Elements
- VFX
- Cameos
Minus Points:
- Love Story
- Rushed Narration
- Too dramatic
Verdict: Brahmastra has all the elements to please you if you are a lover of commercial cinema. The film has the added advantage of a good VFX and a solid core plot. However, amidst the noise of larger than life superhero theme, Ayan Mukherjee has failed in creating an emotional connection which is one of the most crucial elements of a story. Overall it is a unique attempt and uses various mythological elements well and would appeal to the audience.
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