Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva (2022)

Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva is that rare blockbuster that wants to do more than simply dazzle—it tries to build a modern Indian fantasy mythos with the wide-eyed conviction of a campfire legend told at IMAX volume. Ayan Mukerji stages the romance and the revelation with a pop-operatic sweep, letting Ranbir Kapoor’s earnest charm and Alia Bhatt’s grounding presence carry you through a world where ancient astras and neon city nights feel like they belong in the same breath. The film’s real calling card is its spectacle: fire-lit set pieces, colorful festival energy, and a thundering musical pulse that makes the whole thing feel like a cinematic event rather than just another effects reel. If you’re allergic to big, sincere melodrama or prefer your fantasy small and gritty, it may not be your flavor—but if you want a vibrant, ambitious adventure that wears its heart on its sleeve, this is an easy ticket to punch.

Brahmāstra: Part One: Shiva is clearly aiming to be India’s big, glossy fantasy franchise starter, mixing mythology, superhero-style origin beats, and wall-to-wall VFX into a crowd-pleasing adventure. The problem is the writing: the dialogue can be painfully on-the-nose, the romance is meant to be the emotional engine but often feels thin, and the story follows a pretty familiar “chosen one discovers powers” template without much surprise. If you need sharp character work and believable chemistry to buy into a fantasy world, this will likely test your patience, because the spectacle regularly bulldozes the human moments. But if you’re happy to treat it as a visual theme-park ride with some fun mythic ideas and energetic set pieces, it can still be an enjoyable, if messy, time.