After a wait of around eight to nine years Brahmastra finally released in theatres and has gone on to receive positive reviews for its VFX. The makers of the VFX-heavy project, Karan Johar and Ayan Mukerji, have confirmed at FICCI Frames 2022 that they are working on part two and three of the trilogy simultaneously. While the focus of the first film, Shiva, was on the story of the titular character, the audience got to witness a lot of multiple characters harnessing the power of astras (celestial weapons of great power). However, not much was revealed about their journey.
Giving a hint about the same, Johar revealed a possibility of every character in Brahmastra’s Astraverse getting its own individual film. That’s how Brahmastra can have its own universe just like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the individual spin-offs are a possibility in the distant future, it would be interesting to see Nagarjuna Akkineni (Nandi Astra) and Shah Rukh Khan (Vanarastra) who have played key cameo roles in the film getting their own storyline.
As stated by Mukerji on several occasions that he has put all his heart and soul into creating the visual spectacle Brahmastra, the spin-offs would be a game-changer for Indian cinema. As for the astras, in the film Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva which tells the story of Astraverse made of powerful weapons and sages running a secret society called Brahmansh who safeguard those astras, we saw Agnyastra, Nandi Astra, Vanarastra, Jalastra, Prabhastra, Pawanastra, Gajastra, Nag Dhanush and Brahmastra – the god of all astras.
Here are the brief details of all the astras:
Brahmastra: It is also known as Astro Ke Devta (god of all weapons). As the name suggests it is the most powerful weapon and the trilogy will be based around it. Mouni Roy’s character Junoon who harnesses dark powers is seen fighting for Brahmastra in the movie.
Agnyastra (Fire): As revealed in part one, Ranbir Kapoor’s character Shiva has a strange relationship with fire and he possesses the power of fire because of his dad Dev. Part two will reveal more about Dev’s character.
Jalastra (Water): Shiva’s mother, Amrita possesses this power. Junoon uses this power to fight off Shiva in part one. Brahmastra part two will reveal more details about Amrita’s character and her powers.
Vanarastra (Monkey): As the name suggests, this astra has the powers of a vanar (monkey). This weapon was introduced at the beginning of part one. Shah Rukh Khan’s character Mohan Bhargav possesses this power.
Nandi Astra (Bull): In Indian mythology, Nandi (Bull) is the vahan (vehicle) of lord Shiva. Hence, the Nandi Astra has a strength of 1,000 bulls and Nagarjuna Akkineni’s character Anish Shetty harnesses this power.
Prabhastra (Light): Amitabh Bachchan who portrays the character of Guru leading the Brahmansh wields this power which is the mighty sword of light. Bachchan’s character also helps Ranbir Kapoor’s Shiva to identify and channelise his powers.
Pawanastra (Wind): Tenzing, a young kid from Brahmansh has the power of this astra, which has a strength of wind.
Gajastra (Elephant): This astra acts as a shield which is related to the power of elephants and it has a crucial role in the climax of part one.
Nag Dhanush (Snake): This is a bow (dhanush) and arrow shaped weapon where the arrow possesses the power of snakes (nag). Sher, played by Gurfatehi Pirzada, has this power.
Writer-director of Brahmastra, Ayan Mukerji, revealed that there will be inclusion of new actors in the upcoming two parts but the team is also planning to retain the main cast of part one. Both Johar and Mukerji shared that they are planning to release part two in the coming three years, whereas part three will be released one year after part two’s release.
