Brahmāstra: Part one Shiva

Part One of the Brahmstra: Shiva Ayan Mukerji’s next Hindi-language fantasy adventure film The Weapon of Brahma – Part One: Shiva) is written and directed by Ayan Mukerji. Under the brand’s Dharma Productions, Prime Focus, and Starlight Pictures, it is produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Namit Malhotra, and Mukerji (in his debut production) in partnership with Star Studios.

Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy, and Nagarjuna Akkineni are among the cast members. The film is supposed to be the first installment in a planned trilogy as part of the Astraverse cinematic world. The release of Brahmstra was announced in July 2014, however, it was postponed for several years. Filming took place in Bulgaria, London, New York, Edinburgh, and Varanasi over the course of five years, from February 2018 to March 2022.

The film’s production and distribution were repeatedly postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film will be released in normal formats, 3D, and IMAX 3D on September 9, 2022.  Brahmastra Part One: Shiva is the first film made under the Star Studios banner after the company was rebranded on May 27, 2022, following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox.

Premise

The plot centers around Shiva, a DJ who takes on the form of the fire element and has the ability to awaken the Brahmastra, a supernatural weapon capable of destroying the cosmos, destroying creation, and vanquishing all beings. The forces of darkness, on the other side, are likewise trying to obtain the Brahmastra.

Cast

• Amitabh Bachchan as Guru
• Ranbir Kapoor as Shiva, a DJ
• Alia Bhatt as Isha, Shiva’s love interest
• Mouni Roy as Junoon, the Queen of Darkness
• Nagarjuna Akkineni as Anish, an artist
• Dimple Kapadia
• Divyendu Sharma
• Dhruv Sehgal
• Saurav Gurjar
• Shah Rukh Khan as a scientist (cameo appearance)

Development

Brahmāstra was announced in July 2014 by producer Karan Johar. Ayan Mukerji was signed as the director while Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starred. Initially, the film’s title was rumored to be Dragon but was later confirmed as Brahmāstra. Mukerji explained that the title Brahmāstra “resonates with the ancient wisdom, energies, and power,”. Mukerji also revealed that it is a “contemporary film with ancient elements.”

In 2017, Johar revealed his plan to make the film into a film trilogy. The preparation for the film started in January 2018.  In an interview, Kapoor stated that Mukerji “has spent six years of his life working really hard to make an original story” and that the trilogy would be made over a period of 10 years and refuted rumors suggesting that it is a romantic superhero film. Instead, Kapoor confirmed that the film is a “romantic-fairytale in a supernatural format.” and that the film is not something that “doesn’t have truth to it, or which is unbelievable”.

Nagarjuna Akkineni also confirmed that he would be playing a “pivotal” role. Mouni Roy revealed in an interview that she is the “only antagonist” in the film.

Characters

Mukerji revealed that the inspiration behind actor Kapoor’s character came from Rumi who also inspired the first look of his character. Mukerji also drew inspiration from Rumi’s work: “love is the bridge between you and everything”, to build the foundation of the film. Later, he revealed that the Rumi-inspired look was scrapped and Kapoor had gotten a haircut instead.

Kapoor revealed his experience with look tests for the film, expressing that it is a “tedious job: sticking, removing applying, de-applying, and applying again until some decision is reached”.

Filming

Principal photography began in February 2018 with the commencement of the first schedule of the film on 24 February 2018. The first schedule of the film was wrapped up in Bulgaria on 24 March 2018. The second schedule of filming continued in said country and then London on 8 July 2018, in New York in late July, and then back in Bulgaria by the end of the month.

Extensive shooting started on 1 February 2019 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The 20-day schedule started in the Ramnagar Fort and Chet Singh Fort in Varanasi on 30 July 2019. The filming was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later resumed in November 2020. Filming wrapped up on 29 March 2022 in Varanasi.

Release

The release date for Brahmstra is September 9, 2022. Star Studios will release the film in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which is in charge of worldwide distribution, plans to release it on the same day in the United States and Canada.

The film was supposed to be released on December 23, 2016, however, it was postponed for several years. Brahmstra was subsequently moved back to Christmas 2019 and then to Summer 2020 owing to VFX work and shoot delays. Its release date was set for December 4, 2020, in February 2020. The release was delayed because of the COVID-19 outbreak in India. In December 2021, a new release date of 9 September 2022 was announced.