Brahmastra director Ayan Mukerji feared the movie would never see the light of day: Thought I’ll die making it

Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, has been in and out of the conversation for over seven years, and the movie is finally going to have a theatrical release. Director Ayan Mukerji, who has previously labelled the fantasy drama feature as his passion project, spoke about how he once feared that the movie would never reach the audience.

The movie has witnessed several snags, including pandemic-related delays and VFX reworks. At an event in Vizag, the makers announced the trailer release date and where Mukerji said: "For many years, I thought this film would never get made and I’ll die making Brahmastra. So many people asked me why the film is taking so long, and why is it so expensive. They asked me to make another romantic film. But, I always believed, if we got Brahmastra right, it would be very pioneering for our country. The film would find a large audience in the country. That energy has caused many positive things to happen."

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According to The Indian Express, Mukerji also said that the movie is an exploration on "astras, astras of light and shakti which were created in ancient India, but are protected in modern India." 

The upcoming movie is just the first part of the trilogy that Mukerji has planned. Joining Kapoor and Bhatt in this magnum opus are Nagarjuna, Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and even Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo appearance. 

Kapoor will be seen as Shiva while Bhatt will play Isha. Bachchan will portray Professor Arvind Chaturvedi, Shiva's mentor and Nagarjuna is an archaeologist named Ajay Vashisht. Roy will be seen as antagonist Damayanti.

Also read — Brahmastra director Ayan Mukerji calls his on-screen alliance with Ranbir Kapoor a ‘true marriage 

The trailer for Brahmastra: Part One will be unveiled on June 15, as announced yesterday. It is set to have a worldwide release on September 9 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Star Studios, Dharma Productions, Prime Focus and Starlight Pictures have jointly produced the movie.