Ayan Mukerji says he reworked ‘bits in Shiva-Isha’s love story’ for Brahmastra’s OTT release: ‘I had edited too sharply’

Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra debuted on Disney+ Hotstar this Friday, two months after its theatrical release in September. In a new interview, the filmmaker gave new reasons for the audience to re-watch it again on the streaming platform and said he has added depth to the love story of Shiva and Isha, played by Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Also read: Ranbir Kapoor just wants a break to eat amid never-ending Brahmastra promotions

Brahmastra released in theatres in September. It received mixed reviews and yet became the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year with a worldwide gross of ₹431 crore. Besides Alia and Ranbir, it also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna alongside a special cameo appearance by Shah Rukh Khan.

Talking about the OTT release, Ayan recently touched upon what was different about the OTT release. He told Bollywood Hungama, “We continued to work for the digital release. We refined the sound of the film. Pritam dada (the music composer) came in and cleaned up some bits that were not actually there in the cinema release. I went back to the edit and I added a few nips and tucks. Our team has actually been working up till this point to continue on the film.”

Ayan also explained how Alia’s ‘love graph’ has been changed for the OTT release. He shared how the limited timing of the film didn’t catch Ranbir and Alia’s expressions with sharp edits. He felt that the film might test the audiences’ patience. “There were a few places where I felt perhaps I had edited it too sharply,” he admitted, adding, “I added some bits in Shiva and Isha’s love story, Isha’s pull towards Shiva, and a couple of dialogues. It’s subtle stuff. I believe that it will make the journey of the film a little smoother.”

Coincidentally, Brahmastra’s OTT release happened only two days before Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor welcomed their daughter. The couple has been promoting the film throughout Alia’s pregnancy. On Monday, Ayan was snapped leaving the Mumbai hospital where Alia and her newborn baby are admitted.