Say what! Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan’s superhero flick Brahmastra will be made on a budget exceeding Rs 150 crore!

Makers assure that the film will be at par with Hollywood fantasies

How many times have we given Bollywood flicks a pass for the more lucrative-looking and seemingly promising VFX-heavy Hollywood superhero flicks. More than once, right? Now imagine if we could have a similar film franchise in India, delivering on high-quality content as well as backed with a good homegrown legend. Won’t that make our lives so much better? Sure, we can still watch Hollywood films but there’s something so appealing about a desi superhero film. And that is precisely why we are so excited about Brahmastra.

The Ayan Mukerji film, that stars Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, is slated to be a superhero movie that promises to change the scene of VFX-laden films in the country. While we are well aware that most of the backend work on the VFX is completed here in India, it is the budget of their films vs Indian films that makes all the difference. Which is perhaps why the makers of Brahmastra haven’t put a cap on the budget of their film and it is expected to exceed Rs 150 crore. While speaking to Mid-Day, Namit Malhotra, founder, executive chairman and the global CEO of Prime Focus, who will turn a co-producer with this venture, said, “We aspire to create something homegrown that can match Hollywood standards. We can’t be penny-pinching with the scale. Hollywood has moved from dramas and rom-coms to big scale films, which makes more money eventually. India too is getting there.”

Considering this, it is then hardly any surprise that the film will be released in 3D for a full-fledged superhero movie experience. However, instead of going all high-tech with the first film itself and involving motion capture and all that jazz, the makers have decided to keep it simple and shoot in the normal manner. Elaborating on this, Namit said, “We will shoot it the regular way and then convert it into 3D. The visual effects and conversion quality will be superlative.”

The film is all set to release on Independence Day in 2019. For now pre-production work has begun on the film that is poised to go on the floors early next year. And while it is part of a trilogy, as of now thw focus is on the first installment. As for the story of the film, while being tight-lipped about the details, Namit revealed, “The films will progress from establishing the characters to the protagonist achieving his goal. Ayan’s vision will strike a chord with everyone, from the ages of six to 60. In terms of concept, it doesn’t share any similarities with other Bollywood superhero films, like Krrish [2006]. The title itself conveys that the story is rooted in our cultural heritage.”

Well, we can’t wait for Brahmastra to blow us away. What about you?