One of the most awaited movies of 2022 is undoubtedly Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra. The film which took several years in the making will for the first time see real-life couple Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt translate their chemistry on reel when they appear together for the first time in cinema.
The first part of a trilogy, Brahmastra has already garnered a lot of emotions and excitement. The film will see Ranbir and Alia share screen space with Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Mouni Roy and a host of other stars. Ahead of the film’s release, earlier today, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, filmmaker Ayan gave a little insight into the world of Brahmastra – the Astraverse and the story behind naming his hero Shiva.
Taking to Instagram, Ayan shared a four-minute long clip where he talks about the creation of the world of Astraverse, the powers it wields and the hero Shiva, played by Ranbir Kapoor. He captioned the post, “THE VISION OF BRAHMĀSTRA – in ENGLISH ! While Brahmāstra is a work of fiction, my attempt has been to celebrate Indian spirituality, in my own way, through this movie. On this very auspicious day of Guru Purnima, I wanted to share a little more in depth about the the concept of Brahmāstra – a movie through which I personally found myself transforming into a forever-student of the infinite wisdom that exists in our ancient Indian roots… Hope you guys enjoy our imagination”
In the clip, director Ayan Mukerji can be see calling the film an unique position to be in, stating, “No one has done what we are doing with ancient Indian inspiration in the modern world ever.”
Going on to talk about the hero, essayed by Ranbir Kapoor, he says, “Our protagonist, a young man who is yet to discover that in this world of astras he is a miracle. Because he is an Astra himself – the Agni Astra.”
The director then reveals the mystery behind the protagonists name as he says, “In keeping with our spirit of tribute to our roots, he is named after the God who is the most dear to me personally – the most mystical, the all-powerful, and, my greatest inspiration – Shiva.”
The clip also sees Ayan talking about building the foundation of a universe of cinema in the last few years, which have been based on the concept of astras – the Astraverse.
The director goes on to add that Brahmastra Part 1 is the first movie of this Astraverse and it begins from a mystical times in ancient India where a group of sages performed deep meditation and were blessed with the light of the universe – ‘the most powerful and most pure energy there is.’
Ayan reveals that from the Brahmashakti, astras are born, which have within them all the elemental powers of nature and the power of different animals like the vanarastra, and the nandi astra. The director then goes on to talk about the last astra, the lord of all the other weapons – the brahmastra. The sages who are bestowed with these call themselves the Brahmansh and form a secret society and do good for the world with the power of these astras.
The Brahmansh carries on for centuries with the current story being set in India. Brahmastra is set to release in theatres on September 9.
