You can’t go to the next level unless you take risks, says Ranbir Kapoor describing his upcoming project “Brahmastra Part One; Shiva” as a film “without reference” and difficult to insert into a particular genre.
The film, directed by Ayan Mukerji and also starring Amitabh Bachchan and Alia Bhatt, is perhaps the actor’s most ambitious project to date and sees him play a modern-day divine hero.
“It’s not like a Marvel movie. In its genre it’s very original. We can’t compare ‘Brahmastra’ to any movie made in the world. I’m a big movie watcher and I’ve seen all the movies who are out there. There’s no reference to that movie,” Ranbir said ahead of the trailer for the much-hyped project.
“Very early on when we started this movie, we unfortunately got the label that it was a superhero movie…it’s not a superhero movie, it’s a fantasy adventure and I’m playing a character who has divine power,” he said. .
Superhero movies may be a possibility later, Ranbir added of the film, the first part of a trilogy.
According to Ranbir, he and Mukerji, who also directed his previous hits “Wake Up Sid” and “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,” could have easily made a lot of money with another love story, but they chose the hard way. .
“Making movies is not easy. Ayan could have made a lot of money with a love story after ‘Yeh Jawaani…’, I could have had another successful film in my career. But he took the risk and unless you take the risk, you cannot go to another level,” the actor said in an interview at his “Vastu” home in Bandra.
“Our dreams are bigger than I can express. They are limitless, we don’t know where we can go, him as a director and me as an actor. ‘Brahmastra’ will be Ranbir’s first release after “Sanju” in 2018. Mukerji’s last film was “Yeh Jawaaani…” in 2013.
“I don’t think I’m so talented that I can just jump from movie to movie. It takes time. As you get older, you want to make quality movies, you don’t want to make quantity. This is how you want to live your life, you want to be part of good movies and good movies take time,” Ranbir said.
He is aware that much rests on the success of “Brahmastra”, a big-budget fantasy adventure that has never been attempted in Bollywood before on such a scale. But he said he wasn’t worried about how long it took to release the film.
Also starring in the film are Southern star Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy. Ranbir said he had to fulfill “all wishes” while working on the film, whether working with legends like Bachchan and Nagarjuna or collaborating with his wife Alia.
“Working with Amitabh Bachchan is truly an honor and a privilege for an actor. He is the best and greatest Indian actor.
“To work with an actor like Alia…when I saw his second film ‘Highway’, I said ‘this is the next Amitabh Bachchan’ while I was at Ayan’s house with him and Karan (Johar) before that Alia will become the Alia Bhatt. I am proud that my prediction has come true. She is so impactful as an actress, she is limitless, she is immense. According to Ranbir, her collaboration with Mukerji goes beyond the couple typical actor-director. Both enjoy the process of creating something from scratch, which is why he has been part of the journey of “Brahmastra” since its inception ten years ago. The film has gone through many changes since then.
“We’re so close that he always discusses his ideas when he’s excited. And he just doesn’t discuss the idea on a surface level, but also goes deeper. Maybe he thinks I I can understand his ideas. Initially when he wrote the movie it was a bit different, it was about two guys. He wanted to write a story about friendship, fire and water and that evolved to become ‘Brahmastra,'” the actor said.
“…the way he merged new age life with ancient Indian history was quite wonderful. Just to be a viewer and collaborate with him was quite a privilege,” Ranbir added.
He plays a DJ named Shiva, who has a strange connection to fire, in the film. The imagery and its features in the film are inspired by Lord Shiva, Ranbir said.
“He’s not a character that you can pick up easily or go and play. You need the help of the imagination, the help of a lot of people and things to go through. And on sets, the world fantastic is not what you see, everything is created. Lord Shiva is not only the lord of destruction and dance, there are so many different factors. In every scene and every moment there is something you might associate with the life of Lord Shiva.The film was officially announced in 2017 by producer Karan Johar and is set for a worldwide release on September 9th.
Personally, Ranbir said, he’s thrilled but nervous for Mukerji, who he says has dedicated his entire life to this film.
“It’s the biggest project I will have in my life. As an actor, we have other projects. But for him it’s just that, it’s do or die for him in a way .I believe in it and when you believe in something, your faith can never be wrong.”Brahmastra Part One: Shiva” will be released theatrically in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada This is a production joint venture between Star Studios, Dharma Productions, Prime Focus and Starlight Pictures.
