Directed by: Ayan Mukerji
IMDb link: Brahmastra Part One: Shiva (2022)
“Tum andhera laa rahi ho Junoon, lekin roshni aayegi..
aur Brahmastra ki har ladai mein jeet hamesha roshni ki hogi.”
(Spoilers Ahead…)
The Search for the Astras
Certain events and visions make Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor) realize that he has special powers. He finds out he is connected to a secret group called the Brahmansh, led by Guru (Amitabh Bachchan). An evil force named Junoon (Mouni Roy) is hunting for three pieces of a magical weapon. If combined, they form the Brahmastra, which can destroy the world. Shiva, along with his new love Isha (Alia Bhatt), wants to stop her by finding the ashram where Guru lives.
I did not watch Brahmastra Part One in a theater, but I can tell the special effects and bright visuals would have been much more fun on a big screen. However, a bigger screen would not change my experience with the story or the acting.
Missing Chemistry and Poor Dialogues
I was expecting a lot more from the chemistry between Ranbir and Alia, but it lacked a real spark. I felt this missing vibe in the trailer itself. Their early scenes are dull and never really pull you into their love story. This is a big problem because, later in the film, her love is supposed to be the trigger for his powers. Also, the dialogues are very poor throughout the film, and sometimes they even make you cringe.
The special guest appearances were just as disappointing. The character of Anish Shetty (Nagarjuna Akkineni) felt useless, especially the way he gets killed. I would have preferred him doing more to help Shiva and Isha reach the ashram. Then there was Shah Rukh Khan (playing Mohan Bhargav). He irritated me with his unnecessary comic lines. The funny thing is, the quote at the top of this post is his, and it was one of the very few dialogues I actually liked in the entire movie.
The Cast Performances
Amitabh Bachchan is good, except for the poor dialogues again. However, I felt his storytelling scenes at the start were too long. They could have been avoided entirely. It would have been better to slowly learn about the magic weapons through Shiva’s journey.
Mouni Roy does a pretty good job in a negative role, but her character is very basic. There is not much to her story other than hunting for the three pieces. I feel a villain must always have more depth, rather than just being evil for no reason.
The biggest disappointment was Ranbir Kapoor. He was the main reason I had high hopes for this film, but he never felt like Shiva to me. Even the story about him being an orphan felt fake and did not help me connect with his character. The only part of his story that worked was his fear of fire and the way he overcomes it.
Alia Bhatt has very few good moments. Other than that, she was annoying with her constant chanting of “Shiva, Shiva.” I cannot recall the last time someone said a name so many times. This is the first time since her debut movie that I could not enjoy her acting.
Brahmastra Part One: Music and Final Thoughts
The music was average. The song Dance Ka Bhoot did not make any sense at all. Was that the only way the director could think of to introduce Isha? The rest of the songs were at least used well in the story, especially Deva Deva. However, I could not love Kesariya the way everyone else seems to.
In the end, Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva is a very average movie. When you see the Ayan-Ranbir duo work together, you surely expect much better than this. It does not explore all the magic and history it could have, and it fails to be entertaining. I did not even feel interested during the long final action scene. The ending does give hope for a better second movie involving the character Dev.
My Rating: 4/10
Missed my latest post? Check out this week’s Classic Songs Sunday: Monsoon Special
