After amped-up anticipation that had been building up for ages, Ayan Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor finally unveiled the first trailer of their film “Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva” on Wednesday. Not a lot of Indian films get a separate teaser announcing the release of a specific film’s trailer. “Brahmฤstra” got that rare treat because it’s not just Ayan Mukerjiโs magnum opus to the mythological trilogy, but one of the most ambitious films of Indian cinema.
At a reported budget of around โน300 crores, the film had been in talks in the industry for over a decade now and saw multiple delays after it went into production in 2017. This was both due to the pandemic and a series of re-shoots that halted the production process. The film promises to be a VFX-heavy mythological fantasy drama featuring superstars like Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, and Nagarjuna in the lead roles. It’s supposed to be a pan-India release, with S. S. Rajamouli presenting the film in multiple languages.
The trailer opens with one and only Amitabh Bachchan’s voice-over telling us how the five elements have had their powers stored in the โastrasโ (weapons) since ancient times. We learn that this is the story of the God of all Astras- the Brahmastra. We then meet Ranbir Kapoor’s Shiva, a boy next door, who has no clue that he is connected to the Brahmastra in some way. He meets Isha and we see romance brewing between the two before we and Isha learn Shiva’s secret- he is immune to fire. Pictures of reshoots resurfaced the internet as the now-married couple- Ranbir and Alia- shot for a song in Varanasi.
The trailer, which was nearly 3 minutes long, had fans blown over by the spectacular visuals, thus setting up a promising start for the trilogy that had long been stuck in limbo. Technology has evolved at a breakneck speed since the project was first announced by Dharma Productions, and the film relies heavily on this. While some netizens weren’t all that impressed with the overuse of special effects and the trailer’s overall color scheme, others defended it by saying it isn’t right to compare a Bollywood movie with high-budget global films having a much larger market share.
There’s value to be had in the latter point, but doesn’t that inevitable comparison seem reasonable when you’re talking about a mainstream Bollywood film that had been in production for years? It’s not like people stopped consuming content in those past years amidst the growing network of globalized cinema. Well, one thing’s for sure. The trailer for “Brahmฤstra” has gained intense buzz among film lovers and as long as the discourse remains healthy, it’s a great sign for our industry that’s long been suffering through sub-minimal mediocre content and lack of innovative concepts lately. The film would give us all the answers- while hopefully preserving some for its future two sequels- on September 9.
