Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva

About the film

Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (pronounced [bɾəɦmaːstrə]; stylized as BRAHMĀSTRA) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language fantasy action adventure film written and directed by Ayan Mukerji. The film is the first instalment of a planned trilogy, which is itself planned to be part of a cinematic universe titled Āstraverse, and stars an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna with Shah Rukh Khan in a special appearance. Drawing inspiration from tales in Hindu mythology, the story follows Shiva, an orphaned musician with pyrokinetic powers who discovers that he is an astra, a weapon of enormous energy. He attempts to prevent the strongest of the astras, the Brahmāstra, from falling into the hands of dark forces that share a history with him.

The film was first conceived by Mukerji in 2011, with core elements inspired by Indian history and stories he heard in his childhood. Its development was first revealed in July 2014 with a planned release for 2016, but its official announcement arrived in October 2017 revealing that the film would be titled Brahmāstra and would be a trilogy. Principal photography lasted from February 2018 to March 2022, with filming locations including Bulgaria, London, New York City, Edinburgh, Thailand, Manali, Mumbai and Varanasi. Production and release of the film were delayed multiple times, first due to monetary constraints, and later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film's songs are composed by Pritam, with soundtrack lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Plot

In ancient India, a group of sages in the Himalayas collide with the energy Brahm-shakti, which produces many celestial weapons of great power called astras. The strongest among them, the Brahmāstra, has the capacity to destroy the world. The sages use their respective astras to tame the unstable Brahmāstra and become the Brahmansh, a secret society to protect the world from the powers of astras.

In present-day Mumbai, Shiva, a DJ, falls in love at first sight with Isha Chatterjee, a London resident who is visiting India for the Durga Puja festival at her grandfather's pandal. Soon, Isha reciprocates and expresses her feelings for Shiva. Shiva tells her that he is an orphan who never knew his father, and that his mother died in a fire when he was a baby. Meanwhile, in Delhi, scientist and Brahmānsh member Mohan Bhargav is attacked by Zor and Raftar for a piece of the Brahmāstra he safeguards. Mohan fights back using the Vānarāstra but is ultimately subdued by Junoon, who works for the mysterious evil named Dev. Under Junoon's possession, who uses Vash Mukut, Mohan reveals that the second piece of Brahmāstra is protected by artist and archaeologist Anish Shetty in Varanasi. Before he can reveal the current location and guru of the Brahmānsh (Ashram), Mohan throws himself out of a balcony.

Shiva has a vision of Mohan's encounter with Junoon, as he has a piece of Agneyāstra tied to his one hand, and Shiva is somehow connected to it. He and Isha head to Varanasi to warn Anish but are interrupted by Raftar, who now wields Mohan's Vānarāstra. Anish defeats him using the Nandi Āstra before escaping with Shiva and Isha. While going to Himachal Pradesh, where Ashram is located, they are chased by Junoon and Zor in a truck. Anish gives the second piece of the Brahmāstra to Shiva and stays to fight Junoon and Zor, only to be killed. Shiva and Isha are chased by Raftar to Ashram where Shiva kills him using his power of fire after he tried to kill Isha. At Ashram, they learn about other astras and Shiva is forced to join Brahmansh by the guru Raghu for information on his parents. He meets other new recruits Rani, Raveena, Sher and Tenzing, who are all trained by Raghu on how to use their respective astras and Shiva also gains control over fire.

Production

The idea of Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva first came to Mukerji in 2011 while writing the script for his second film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013). Mukerji first announced that he was working on a new project in July 2014. In October 2017, Brahmāstra was officially announced by producer Karan Johar. Mukerji was signed as the director while Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Amitabh Bachchan were set to star. Initially, the film's working title was Dragon, but was officially titled as Brahmāstra in 2017. 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 rumours 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 which "doesn't have truth to it, or which is unbelievable". Telugu film actor Nagarjuna also confirmed that he would be playing a "pivotal" role and it marked his return to Hindi cinema after 19 years, following his appearance in 2003 film LOC: Kargil. Mouni Roy revealed in an interview that she is the "only antagonist" in the film.

Key details