Brahmastra Part One: Shiva
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy, Amitabh Bachchan
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Rating: 3/5
Brahmastra is a unique film because you can’t immediately decide whether to praise it wholeheartedly or discard it completely. I have been in a dilemma. Maybe by the end of this review, I would be able to form any concrete opinions.
An orphan Mumbai DJ Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor) meets foreign return Isha (Alia Bhatt) and they fall in love. Not a second wasted. Shiva starts getting flashes from a parallel set-up and soon embarks on a path full of fantasies, dark forces, and unexplained agencies. It seems like an inward journey in the beginning but turns into one filled with potholes and dangerous multiverse creatures. In a nutshell, it’s a world within the world.
First things first, Brahmastra has really impressive CGI. The best in Indian cinema till date. It doesn’t seem to be anywhere behind Hollywood sci-fi counterparts. 3D might lack finesse but that’s acceptable.
Coming to the narrative techniques used in the film, I heard people discussing the style of dialogue delivery in Brahmastra. Don’t know what exactly was intended there, but I will tell you why it worked for me. If you have a good exposure to parallel universe mythical stories, you’ll realise that they also work because of their connection with the past and reemphasis on the personalities they’re dealing with. In such circumstances, addressing each other or leaving one word dangling at the end of sentences is a trick to engage the audience. Plus, they remind the viewers about the historical contexts of the milieu.
Ayan Mukerji has taken a risk there and it may backfire, but this also helps Brahmastra staying true to the form. It’s like superhero comic books where animation needs support from monosyllables. Less words, more clarity, and no distraction from graphics.
For example, Junoon (Mouni Roy), a dark lord devotee, is grey and not villainous. The purpose of her character is evident and you can’t label her good, bad, or villainous.
Shiva also has a gradual progression from being a somewhat happy to a motivated fighter out there to save the universe, rather Astraverse. Kapoor displaying the usual contours of a Bollywood hero is annoying for a good chunk of storytelling but once he settles in, he begins to impress. However, the lack of conviction on his part hampers the flow sometimes. Maybe he will get better at it in the next films of the trilogy. Much focus on his romance with Alia Bhatt adds hurdles to a storytelling technique not much seen in Hindi films.
The tinge of mythology and amalgamating choppers with sleek guns don’t look out of place. The duration of 161 minutes could have been shorter though.
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Brahmastra also tries hard to present itself as the revelation of deeper truths of humankind but doesn’t exactly get there where it wanted to be. With other films, the makers may achieve the near perfection they set out for.
All said and done, Brahmastra is grand, has all the tropes of mega Bollywood projects, and is enthralling. It’s something new. If X-Men or Avengers can be given a chance then Brahmastra too deserves your attention.
While writing this piece, I seem to be defending most of the ploys used in the film, so Brahmastra works for me.
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