Ayan Mukerji has evolved both as a filmmaker and as a human being while giving a decade of his life to ‘Brahmastra ’, which in his words is an attempt to give a never-seen-before cinematic spectacle to the Indian audience.
The first instalment of a planned trilogy titled 'Brahmastra Part-1: Shiva' releases today starring real-life husband and wife Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt and according to this young director, 'Brahmāstra’ is unique for two reasons- technology and spirituality.
"We wanted to create a big cinematic spectacle, an entertainment space that has never been done at the Indian box office. However, there were two things to that- first is we had to create a modern technology to really create a never seen before experience for our audiences and I feel that we have succeeded in that effort as one will see how we took technology to the next level for Indian cinema with this film," the filmmaker tells the journalist.
Ayan also emphasizes how he ensured that this film’s foundation is laid on Indian culture. "The spiritual angle I believe is very strong in the film. 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. I hope people also feel the same after watching it,” says Ayan.
When this young filmmaker reached the press conference venue with the other two strongest pillars of the film as a part of the promotional strategy, he ensured that no greetings were left unanswered or unaddressed. However, what was riveting to see is how these three young faces, who represent modern Indian cinema, created a magnum opus that is strongly rooted in Indian culture and mythology.
“I want all of you to take pride in the fact that this film celebrates Indian culture, roots, and traditions and will always be remembered in the world for being so original,” says Ayan as he opens the curtain to face the questions of journalists in attendance.
But before he does that, there was a surprise for the Delhi media.
“After today, the film will go out into the world and the best way to take you to the ‘Brahmastra’ is to show you the film, “ he says and adds, “We want to show you some bits of the film because it’s completely ready now and I want to take you all to the experience of 3D to bring the visuals of this film alive as the entire process was complex and technical aspect in the film is a big pillar so I am very very keen to you guys to experience.”
The filmmaker says that being a fan of SS Rajamouli and Hollywood director James Cameron, he wanted to create an equally majestic universe for the Indian audience.
“My film-making guru in the world are two: SS Rajamouli and James Cameron and while making this film, I used to feel that if I will work hard now then probably I will able to create something as unbelievable as they do so that passion really kept me going and I am very excited for everybody to see what we have achieved in the whole film,” he says.
It's not only the filmmaker who has grown as a person while making this film, but Ranbir Kapoor too grew as an actor while working with him. “I am very fortunate that I got a chance to work with this man, who is also my best friend. I am not sure if I will not get a chance to work on a project that will be as big as this one and that's why I would like to thank Ayan for considering me for this role."
For the actor, who has played the lead in Ayan's last films including 'Wake Up Sid', and 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', the story, spirituality, Indian roots, and gods are something that he calls spectacular about their latest film. "We often talk about commercial cinema, VFX, etc but in this film, I got everything.”
Alia too had the same sentiments for her filmmaker friend.
“I have been a fan of him as a director and it coincidentally happened that we became friends along the way so when he casually mentioned to me in 2015 that I am going to come to you with my next film, I was like when can I start shooting? I believe in his vision. I think he is extremely unique and I think my friendship with Ayan is a very shared passion for movies and cinema.”
Also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, and Mouni Roy, the advance booking of the film has already created records and critics are hopeful that this film is going to break the deadlock at the box office for the Hindi cinema. However, Ranbir believes that it's not okay to take these figures seriously till the time the audience watches the film, which is today.
“This film is made for the audience and I think we will get to know on Friday how much we have succeeded in our attempt to show something extraordinary,” says the actor who is soon going to be a father too.
Ranbir recalls the time when his father, late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, was alive and the young Kapoor used to hide the fact that he is going for the same film’s shoot for so many years.
“I used to hide that I am going for the shooting of the film because nobody understands what it takes to make this film because nobody has done this, especially in the people that we know,” he says.
So does this mean that Ranbir is now looking forward to doing more projects like this in the near future?
To this, he says that he can’t predict that. " You have to select from whatever opportunities come your way. Having said that, it's really been an honour and privilege to be part of his movies and being part of Ayan films because he has been very instrumental in my growth as an actor, I have known him since 2008 when he narrated the script of 'Wake Up Sid' to me. I feel the energy of this young filmmaker, he is passionate about work and character and I think art is about energy,” he says.
Addressing the boycott culture trend, the team says that they want to keep it positive.
“I had a film release a weeks days back called 'Shamshera', and I didn’t feel any negativity. If the film didn’t work at the box office, it's probably because the audience didn’t like the film," says Ranbir and adds that if the content is good, the audience would love to go and watch it in theatres. "Who doesn’t want to go to movies, to the cinemas and experience different emotions and get moved by character."
Alia too sums up by saying that it's a beautiful environment to release any film and that we all should focus on the healthy, happy, safe space we are living in. “We should all feel grateful for the life we have in general and we should celebrate the fact that Theatres are back and films are back in theatres," she ended the session by singing 'Love Storiyan' from the film for the audience.
