Brahmastra Movie Review: Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt's Cinematic Astra Burns Bright With Rousing Visuals

Story

Brahmastra begins with Guruji (Amitabh Bachchan)'s voiceover where the thespian narrates the legend of the Astras and how a group of warriors known as Brahmansh wielded these weaponry which gave them energy-radiating powers.

To protect these 'astras' from the Dark Forces, this ancient order has been working centuries after centures. Since the contemporary generations have forgotten about their existence, these modern Brahmansh continue to guard the 'astras' under secret identities while holding influential positions in the society.

Out of all these armaments, Brahmastra, which is considered to be the Lord of all the weapons, is split into three pieces and scattered across the country to keep them away from the Dark Forces. It is guarded by some powerful people in the society.

Meanwhile, Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor), a happy-go-lucky orphan who is a DJ by profession, comes across London-bred Isha (Alia Bhatt) in a Durga Puja Pandal and it's love at first sight for him. Slowly as their romance blossoms, Shiva is tormented by some mysterious scary visuals which makes him realise that a dark force led by Junoon (Mouni Roy) is seeking the scattered pieces of Brahmastra for something sinister.

As the visuals get intense, Shiva slowly also discovers his super powers and that he can unleash fire from his palms. The rest of the film revolves around how our hero embarks on a journey with his ladylove, which also holds an answer to his past.

Direction

Director Ayan Mukerji deserves a pat on his back for pulling off this mammoth project despite facing several roadblocks. For an audience feeding on a staple of Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani director brings to the table a platter filled with some good performances and jaw-dropping visuals.

With his Astraverse, Mukerji has definitely pushed the envelope for Indian cinema by ditching the tried-and-tested formula to prove that 'Hum kisi se kam nahi.'

On the flip side, Shiva and Isha's love story is hardly engaging and the inconsistent writing makes things even more tiresome. Hussain Dalal and Ayan Mukerji's dialogues come across as obsolete. Also, the film lacks a certain amount of emotional depth which was required to make you 'feel' for the characters.

Performances

From a lad trying to make the best of every situation to becoming a superhero in his own way by conquering his fear, Ranbir Kapoor as Shiva gives us a glimpse of his metamorphosis as an actor. There's a certain amount of affable charm that he oozes in every frame even when the writing loses its grip.

It's undeniable that Alia Bhatt is luminescent and brings in equal doses of sugar and spice in her performance. However, her on-screen chemistry with Ranbir Kapoor lacks a spark.

Amitabh Bachchan offers his sturdy shoulders to balance this magnum opus and that works in favour of this movie. Mouni Roy flaunts her shade of grey as Junoon and delivers a convincing act. Shah Rukh Khan and Nagarjuna Akkineni in their respective brief cameos add value to this visual extravaganza.

Technical Aspects

Three cheers for Prime Focus VFX for making sure that Brahmastra turns out to be a visual spectacle for the audience. Be it the portion revolving around SRK or the car scene featuring Shiva, Isha and another character, the film has some 'heart-in-your mouth' moments.

Cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee and his team keep the frames in the film bright and vibrant. Prakash Kurup's editing could have been a little more taut.

Music

Pritam's music in Brahmastra is a mixed bag. Our pick from the music album is Arijit Singh's melody 'Kesariya' which is already topping the music charts and the beautifully picturized 'Deva O Deva.'

Verdict

There's a scene in Brahmastra where an injured Amitabh Bachchan tells Ranbir Kapoor, "Jaa Shiva, aag laga de." While Ayan Mukerji and team do set the screens on fire with their immersive storytelling and grand canvas, some of it gets doused by the insipid love story. Nevertheless, this Astraverse still manages to burn bright and spread light.