Sanchita
The CGI, Cinematography and Action is Kesariya, but the Love Storiyaan part is….well, Love Storiyaan. Like Elaichi In Biryani.
Nevertheless, Brahmastra is a grand, thoroughly entertaining visual spectacle with a few plot missteps. Read Full Brahmastra Review –
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy, Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Rating: 3.5/5
Storyline:
Kicking off Ayan Mukerji’s Astraverse – we have our protagonist Shiva (Ranbir) whose superpower is fire. He falls in love at first sight with Isha (Alia) but before their love story can progress, he’s drawn into a dark adventure to protect the Brahmastra.
Since ages, a secret society called ‘Brahmansh’ has been safeguarding the broken pieces of the powerful Brahmastra, to keep it from falling into wrong hands. Our antagonist Junoon (Mouni) is on the quest to recover all 3 pieces so she can reawaken an ancient, all-powerful Dark God.
Racing along his journey, Shiva reaches the Gurukul and meets Guru (Amitabh Bachchan) and learns he’s connected to this mess on a deeper, personal level than he realises.
The fight against evil in Brahmastra is aided by diverse characters using multiple astras like Vanarastra (Shah Rukh Khan) and Nandi Astra (Nagarjuna Akkineni).
Will Shiva control his fire or let it consume him? Watch Brahmastra to find out –
What Do We Think?
Brahmastra is indeed paving way for a new kind of story-telling and adventure in Bollywood and for that the team must be applauded. It makes for an immersive cinematic experience – with stunning CGI, some thrilling action sequences and beautiful songs. Some scenes are LITERALLY SO PRETTY, UFF.
However, the chink in the armour is the Shiva-Isha lovestory. The dialogues are childish and the romance is awkward and cringe. For a film that hinges so strongly on the power of love, this romantic track is an unconvincing let-down.
They could also have cut down on the length; some sequences overstay their welcome and are surface level without carrying the emotional impact. Brahmastra would’ve been even better if the sole focus was more on exploring the Astraverse, instead of the romance. Multiple interesting characters are introduced in Gurukul but aren’t given substantial enough treatment.
Alia Bhatt looks very pretty but more or less has a flowerpot role, yelling ‘Shiva Shiva’ every 5 minutes. Mouni Roy has nailed her role as the antagonist, Bachchan Sir is majestic in all the scenes. Ranbir looks earnest and convincing for the most part, but weary in fleeting glimpses. SRK makes a charming cameo, must watch!
There’s a lot of potential in Astraverse itself – as this was just a minion carrying out orders, the big bad Villain who’s pulling the strings is yet to come. Plus, the mystery of Shiva’s parents is already intriguing. We hope the next part – Brahmastra Part 2 Dev takes the franchise to another level.
Overall, the magic in Brahmastra is on account of it being technically very strong and the lore of The Astraverse seems exciting. We can’t wait to see more!
Hit Or Miss:
Criticism aside, Brahmastra is a treat to watch on the big screen and Ayan’s vision deserves to be supported. Go and watch in theatres!
