Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer Brahmastra Part One: Shiva got a flying start at the box-office. The film has done phenomenally well globally. But the road wasn’t a smooth ride for the Ayan Mukerji directorial as the mythological fantasy drama had the huge task of overcoming the Boycott trend which was reported as the main reason for the failure of recent Bollywood films.
Now that the film, which also features Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, Shah Rukh Khan and Nagarjuna, has ended Bollywood’s dry run at the box office by alluring the audience back to the theatres, Mukerji in conversation with News18.com opened up about the #BoycottBrahmastra trend.
The filmmaker said that the idea was to focus on the positives, “Yes, we did care what people were saying but at the same time we were okay. It may sound idealistic but we were so focussed on our film and the overall message of the film was all about love and we had a concept which was there on our posters which said, ‘The light is coming,’ so we didn’t really have any time to think about anything else.”
The Wake Up Sid director says that his broad appeal is that everyone gives the film a chance. “As a filmmaker, I am inviting everyone to come and watch it, including the people who are making all the noise and also the ones who aren’t convinced with our film. We want them to give us a chance, see the effort that we have put in, the kind of VFX we have done because I feel no film of that nature has done it and experience the way Indian mythology is depicted. Once you watch the film you are entitled to your opinion whether you like it or not and I am open to all kinds of suggestions,” he said.
Ask Mukerji if he feels vindicated with the film setting the cash registers ringing and he says, “I don’t think I feel vindicated because there is nothing to vindicate against. The moment we start using this thought of vindication, it defeats the primary thought of my purpose of the film as it puts us up against someone. I don’t want this feeling of division. I believe the goal of a film be it any kind of emotion, it has to eventually bring people together, unite them and give us common pop culture.”
He adds, “I always felt that Brahmastra was a big film and would excite the audience. At this moment, I’m happy that the film is doing well. It has brought the audiences into the cinemas. When a big film comes out, it becomes a culture because everyone is discussing that film over the weekend. I had also forgotten that feeling and how important it is for our culture. So I feel really good about it.”
In an earlier interview with News18.com, the filmmaker had revealed the plans for the sequel, but at the same time, Mukerji says that his work on the first part is not over yet. He explains, “I still have around a couple of weeks of work left. We are still working on the music album of the film. I have to still prepare the film for television and streaming platforms. I am just waiting for this to get over as I now crave for complete normalcy where I can keep my phone away, spend time with my parents. It’s been years since I have had a normal week so I am looking forward for it (laughs).
