PremiumSS Rajamouli, James Cameron Were Ayan Mukerji's Ideals For Making Brahmastra
In the decade he spent bringing Brahmastra to fruition, Mukerji held on to the thought that it was his chance to emulate the ouevre of his filmmaking heroes — Cameron and Rajamouli.
Last Updated: 04.43 PM, Sep 08, 2022
Ayan Mukerji knew he was on the crux of a mammoth enterprise when he conceptualised Brahmāstra, a fantasy adventure rooted in Indian lore and mythology, and planned as a trilogy starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
Having lived, breathed, worked on and dreamt of this project for the better part of a decade, Mukerji is geared up for the first instalment’s release this Friday, 9 September.
Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (and indeed the trilogy itself) owes much to the cinematic language and styles of two filmmakers Mukerji professes to admire: James Cameron and SS Rajamouli.
“They’re my two gurus in the filmmaking world,” Mukerji says, at a meet-up with the press in New Delhi. Through the 10-year slog to bring Brahmāstra to fruition, Mukerji held on to the thought that he was creating something that might just be comparable to Cameron and Rajamouli’s oeuvre.
“I used to feel that if I work hard now then probably I will be able to create something as unbelievable as they do… So that passion really kept me going,” the Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani director says. With ‘Astraverse’ — the cinematic world within which the Brahmāstra story is set — Mukerji’s quest has been to create a majestic universe that was distinctly Indian in ethos and essence. “This film celebrates Indian culture, roots and traditions,” he emphasises.
It would perhaps be redundant to say that Brahmāstra is an ambitious film. Mukerji describes his vision as wanting to “create a big cinematic spectacle…an entertainment space that has never been done at the Indian box office [sic]”. This required two things, according to Mukerji: Firstly, the modern technology to create this “never-seen-before experience” for the audience. Secondly, to create a strong spiritual angle that would also make the film’s originality and Indianness evident to even the most casual viewer.
Mukerji believes that Team Brahmāstra has been able to meet both requirements, saying: “[I want to take you all to experience the film in] 3D to bring the visuals alive… The technical aspect is a big pillar in Brahmāstra, so I am very, very keen for the audience to experience it.”
“I am very proud that when anybody outside the world sees this film, they will think of it as a very original Indian film that’s been created,” he adds. “I hope people also feel the same after watching it.”