Brahmastra: Is the Ayan Mukerji film a VFX masterpiece, a cringey, scriptless bore, or a confusing cocktail of both

Brahmastra is the most polarising film since, well, a few months ago when Gehraiyaan came out and nobody could decide whether to love it or hate it. Brahmastra is facing a similar problem. The masses seem to love it largely, as worldwide earnings of ₹160 crore in two days indicate. And the USP of the film is clearly the VFX and scale. But there are many–both critics and fans–who found the plot hollow and the dialogues needlessly cringey. So who is right? Is the film a VFX masterpiece that will be remembered as a seminal work in Indian cinema or a dull, over-the-top melodrama? The trouble with Brahmastra is that both these things are true. (Also read: Brahmastra highs and lows: From fantastic Shah Rukh Khan to wasted Alia Bhatt)

Credit where it’s due-Brahmastra has amazing homegrown visual effects. I wasn’t completely sold on them when I saw the trailer but watching the film in the theatre is an experience in itself. To give such high-quality effects in a budget that is a fraction of Hollywood blockbusters is no mean feat. For that, Ayan Mukerji and the team of Prime Focus (responsible for the effects) must be applauded.

Equally good are the action sequences, particularly an engaging car chase sequence in the second half. The person next to me in the hall remarked that it was ‘as good as the Fast and Furious’ series. While I do not quite agree with that, it does give a sense of what the viewers feel about the VFX and action of the film.

But a film must be more than just the technology and embellishments. These things–the action, the VFX, the CGI–are just frosting. The base of the cake is the story, screenplay and performances. Apart from the final part–the actors did well–the others simply fell flat. In fact, the dialogue was so cringey at times that the theatre I was in had people laughing and smirking at some of the romantic and intense moments. Therein lies Brahmastra’s fault.

Brahmastra is like many of those promising and talented cricketers we have seen over the years. You know the kind, the mercurial talented wayward type. They are brilliant in one moment, making us believe they are the next big thing. And in the very next game (or even over), they do something so mind-numbingly stupid that boys playing gully cricket won’t. Brahmastra is equally frustrating. Because the film has promise. The world building is fabulous and the premise extremely strong. Add to it the technology and the scale and it sets the tone for a truly grand film. This could have been India’s Star Wars, only if the makers had paid a little more attention to the core of the film- the actual story and screenplay.

Brahmastra can be unintentionally funny at times. If not for the charm and stardom of its superstarry cameos and the screen presence of its lead pair, it could have been a very different film. The characters often come across as half-baked, everybody likes to repeat what is happening on the screen, the dialogue is so cringey it becomes comic, and the exposition is embarrassing in parts. The VFX masks all of this and the film really does come alive in parts where there is action on screen. That the audience is willing to overlook all this says a lot about how starved they have been for some big-budget Indian extravaganza.

I do feel that a lot of Brahmastra’s issues with pacing are due to the start-stop nature of the film’s production. The film was in production for almost seven years and the shoot itself stretched for four years with a pandemic-enforced break in the middle. All that can definitely affect how a film is shaping. Despite all that, that the film even managed to finish and release is an achievement. That it is heading to be one of the most successful Hindi films of recent times is a bonus.

But that’s an explanation for what’s wrong, not an excuse. A filmmaker with a keen eye–which I believe Ayan Mukerji is–should not let banal dialogue and bland storytelling escape the cutting room floor. Somewhere, I do believe Ayan got so close to the project that he could not look at it with an objective eye, which is why he refused to see the faults when they were presented. The success of the film has given him a chance to avoid repeating these mistakes. Because of course there will be a part 2 now. And I hope, this time, he does get it fully right. But who knows, maybe he won’t want to tinker with what’s worked. After all, the audience seems to love it enough to make it the most successful pandemic-era Bollywood release.

Brahmastra will still be a landmark film. Like Baahubali and Enthiran before it, it shows India can compete with the West in terms of scale and technology and even give high-quality visual effects right here at home. Others will attempt this. Many will fail but a few, who do succeed, will set the path for the Indian film industry’s future. But I do hope most of them, if not all, will also pay attention to the story’s core that Brahmastra ignored. If Brahmastra is setting a roadmap for future filmmakers, they should learn from both the good and the bad, both what to do and what definitely not to do. Because a series of visually stunning but hollow films should not be Brahmastra’s legacy.