Brahmastra Part One: Shiva

Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, is the movie with both good and bad. Here are my views after the 1st day 1st show watch.

Good: 1. The CGI which delivered well most of the time.

2. Music and especially the BGM which can be very catchy.

3. The attempt. India is rich with mythological stories and the movie is a nice try to represent one.

Bad: 1. Acting, yes acting. It's quite odd to see capable actors like Ranbir and Alia act so loudly and throw each and every dialogue out loud. Same for Mouni Roy who is screaming most of the time. There could a be a bit more toned down acting.

2. Storyline. The story telling could be a bit more engaging. It is at the beginning but lost track on the way.

3. Charector Development. The charector development of Shiva seems a bit abrupt. On the other hand Alia is reduced to a mere supporting character, always relying on Ranbir to save the day. A typical representation of how Bollywood sees the heroin. When you name a character 'Isha', you should make it a bit more stronger.

4. To much faith on audience. Though I agree the movie acts as a build up for upcoming movies, it relies too much on the build up and not on developing the first one.

5. Writing. Some of the dialogues are very repetative and feeds the audience over and over. Also there are too much of romantic moments between Ranbir and Alia that can be avoided. The movie would have been focused on the main theme then.

Overall it is a one time watch for CGI if you don't expect much from the story.

We were expecting a great movie as the amount of money spent on this movie was insane. But it is more or less disappointment. VFX are great and are equal to any best of Hollywood. But here director missed the trick. He focussed too much on VFX and did not focus on story , acting or Music. Other than acting by superstar No actor including Ranbir and Alia acted well. Big B is a waste in this movie. Music is also copied from other songs of pritam himself.

We wanted desperately for Bollywood to create something equivalent or better than Bahubali but it is no where near. In case you want to watch this movie enjoy the VFX and than sleep for some some time. Ask your neighbor to wake you up when the next VFX shot starts. This way it will be easy for you to watch the movie .

I just got out of watching the first show in my city and was mostly happy with the attempt at a superhero movie by Ayan Mukherjee but the actors and dialogues let the movie down, mostly the dialogue choices were uniform and no steps to innovate were taken. Would have enjoyed it more if I could relate more to the characters in the movie. Even though it is a fantasy movie but the way characters were behaving, the world felt a little too simple with no relation to natural human behaviour. If you are not going to put effort in world building then at least make sure to introduce elements to our existing reality.

Brahmastra (2022) : Movie Review -

Ayan Mukerji made a formal announcement of Brahamastra soon after the success of Ranbir Kapoor's "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani" (2013). I was in my last year of engineering then, and now the project is finally released in 2022. Most of the delayed Bollywood projects have bad records to their names, except for Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Pakeezah (1972), so of course you can't expect Brahmastra to hit that level. Ayan's dream project somewhere dies in between these two verdicts. It is neither too bad like those unsuccessful films nor too good like Mughal-e-Azam and Pakeezah. Ayan's dream is visually pleasant just like you enjoy in your dreams, but the writing and storytelling are something that you wouldn't even dream of for a decade old film. It seems that Ayan was stuck in 2013 while writing this film, and he didn't know that Bollywood had come a long way in 2022.

Brahmastra is a long narrative divided into three parts (at least that's what Ayan has in mind), and the first part is mainly about Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor). It's about Shiva knowing about his powers, the secrets of Brahmastra, his exploration with himself, aka Agni-Astra, and the love of his life, Isha (Alia Bhatt). Amitabh Bachchan is a sort of Guru (maybe people don't want to imagine him in any other role for such big films) as well as a Prabhastra, who helps Shiva to unleash his powers. The Brahmansh team is guarding three pieces of Brahamastra, the God of all Astras, from Junoon (Mouni Roy). She wants to awaken her Guru, Dev (unknown yet, or let's keep it a secret for now). The film starts with a much-hyped cameo (Shah Rukh Khan), which ultimately goes on to disappoint you with its chapri dialogues. The past connection is there and it is as predictable as it could have been, but it stretches itself long enough to give a declaration about Brahmastra: Part Two.

Brahmastra's writing is all about cliches. The romance, the good vs. Evil face off, the past connection, the guru and shishya pattern, and the positive ending. Don't tell me you haven't seen it before, and in such a manner. The expected flaws are there to raise many questions in your mind, but there are some basic mistakes which cannot be overlooked. How can people with the powers of Astras be killed with guns? I mean, even the villains use guns to defeat the good guys, who have tremendous powers. They have powers but don't use them because they have to use guns first. Someone with super jumping abilities must first run (for what? ), then jump. The romance between Shiva and Alia starts off as a slumber-bound flirt and stays flat throughout, yet is used as the main event of the storyline. In one of the scenes, Shiva and Isha are going to some party around midnight of Diwali, but they don't walk or just run, but they climb and literally sort of fly just to reach a small house. And where was that so-called 'todu party', by the way? If you see the past connection part, you don't even need further details to predict who it was actually and how Shiva is connected to them. You don't get any big surprises as promised, but maybe there is an outside chance that we may get them in the next parts (if they are made soon). Ayan should have finished this film with such a storyline before 2015 (the beginning of the Bahubali era), and then it might have looked better. It's definitely outdated and flawed for 2022. I don't know why it took so long because such stories can be written every day after a good sleep.

Talking about performances, Brahmastra isn't a front-loaded film. Ranbir Kapoor is out of soft boy roles and has done a decent job with this mixed and messy character. The Chapri accent just didn't look good on him, not even for a moment. Alia Bhatt has pulled her graph down after giving good performances in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Darlings. Brahmastra is not even half of what she has done in those two previous films this year. Amitabh Bachchan hardly makes any impact with a sober and predictable role, but his accent and persona suit the respected image. Nagarjuna has about a 5 to 6-minute role with a powerful presence. The surprise package is Mouni Roy, who has done very well as the antagonist. She looks scary and devious. She has a beautiful face too, and she is powerful enough to stand against Shiva and the Brahmansh members. Shah Rukh Khan plays a scientist-cum-one of the astras (as reported by many websites already) but has got cheap dialogues to deliver.

Pritam barely gives any bad albums, so he doesn't go wrong with Brahmastra either. "Deva Deva" and "Kesariya" are watchful songs with engaging visuals, whereas "Dance Ka Bhoot" passes the screentime somehow. Simon Franglen's background score is rooted in Indian culture and tones, which was unexpected from him. But what an incredible impact it had in those battle scenes! Literally goosebumps! The cinematography and editing could have been better, and the dialogues needed a little bit of modern polishing. Watch out for the VFX. Brahmastra presents the best visual spectacle of Indian cinema, with 3D effects adding more joy to the viewing experience. Ayan Mukerji has come out of coming-of-age dramas and entered the mysterious world of ancient astras. He seemed confused about what to pick and carry and what to drop. Brahmastra Part One could have been a fantastic film with a good script, but Ayan just couldn't get the basics right. His conviction about visualisation fits the bill, but the idea of the same isn't that big. It's on the same level as Shankar's "2 Point 0" - great VFX but a mediocre storyline. If someone like Shankar can go wrong after making films like "Indian", "Anniyan" and "Endhiran", then Ayan was too small for it already. Nonetheless, Brahmastra is watchable for its big-screen value that introduces you to VFX-led grandeur, though it lacks both a storyline and storytelling, which could have taken it to the next level. The young guy has done more than his age, though.

RATING - 5/10*

"Brahmastra (I)" emerged as one of the highly anticipated big-budget Bollywood movies. I was fortunate to catch it in 3D for a mere 75 rupees (less than $1 USD) on the momentous 75th anniversary of Bollywood Cinema, three weeks after its release amidst varied reviews. The theater was packed, brimming with eager viewers.

The film began with a brilliant premise, a rare treasure hunt in the Bollywood landscape, intertwined with fantasy, romance. Ranbir Kapoor was exceptional, portraying a character with a captivating arc that shone brightly in the first half. However, even the brilliance of Amitabh Bachchan, one of my favorites, faltered in his role due to poorly written dialogues.

Alia Bhatt's character suffered from underdevelopment, making her one of the weaker aspects of the movie. The antagonist although portrayed well, lacked the strength and menace needed to be truly compelling. Despite these shortcomings, the movie remained enjoyable, offering a fun-filled experience with moments of excitement and intrigue.

The script, unfortunately, suffered from a messy narrative with numerous loopholes. The first half's adventurous elements, featuring divine culture and captivating hunts, were highlights worth relishing.

However, the climax disappointed, overloaded with unnecessary fiction. The attempt to create an epic fantasy fell short. Despite these flaws, "Brahmastra (I)" managed to pique my interest, and I appreciated Bollywood's venture into this genre.

Overall it presents a mixed bag of fantasy and adventure, brimming with potential but hindered by weak character development and overblown elements. While enjoyable in parts, it fell short of becoming the epic.