Years in the making, Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva is the first episode in a trilogy about the “Astraverse,” an Indian take on the multiverse. Astras are superpowers that can take the form of a weapon or a person (a “divine” person). So like X-Men, and like Journey to the East, there are superstrong “bull” people, “fire” people, a “monkey” character who is hard to catch, etc. Like Avengers: Infinity War, the villains are trying to piece together shards of pottery to form a talisman that will destroy the planet. The pieces are held by “Bramansh” heroes: a Scientist (an unbilled superstar in an extended cameo), an Artist (beefy Nagarjuna Akkineni), and a Guru (the estimable Amitabh Bachchan).
It’s up to Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor, part of an acting dynasty), owner of an orphanage, an orphan himself, and part-time DJ, to discover his destiny, take on the villains, and save the planet. He’s helped by Isha (Alia Bhatt), a rich girl from London who can “feel the groove” when Shiva’s DJ-ing.
The first half is a typical Bollywood romance: poor guy wins over rich girl by showing her winsome orphans, rooftop barbecues, and superhot dance moves. It’s set on a scale unimaginable in Western films: hundreds of choreographed extras flinging themselves around ancient temples, courtyards, waterfronts. The second half descends into a sludge of indifferent special effects, endless battles, and deaths that turn out to be not deaths after all.
The film is being distributed by Star Studios, at one time Fox’s producing arm in India, now under Disney’s umbrella. Disney is opening it worldwide tomorrow (September 9), in five languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
Director Ayan Mukerji has made a half-dozen or so movies, working a lot with Ranbir Kapoor. He has yet to start filming Part Two: Dev (spoiler alert: Dev = Darth Vader) and I will be surprised if he gets to Part Three. Mukerji does an excellent job with the songs but has trouble executing action + effects. He has no trouble milking maudlin plot turns for tears. The problem isn’t Mukerji’s efforts to make a Marvel-style movie in India. It’s why he would bother trying. Why prove you can make something as bad as a comic-book movie?
This is all TMI due entirely to my obsession with Alia Bhatt. Brahmāstra is her fourth film release this year, after her third-act appearance in RRR, her brothel-revenge drama Gangubai Kathiawadi, and her comedy about murdering an abusive husband, Darlings. [The last two are now on Netflix.] She is incredibly appealing here, even when called on to simper over fallen superheroes. Bhatt’s already finished two more movies, including the Gal Gadot vehicle Heart of Stone.
Bhatt also married Kapoor and is expecting their first child, which may help explain their undeniable onscreen chemstry. [Photos courtesy Star Studios.]
