Ranbir-Alia starrar Brahmastra trailer dropped

The much-anticipated trailer for Ayan Mukerji's magnum opus Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva released on Wednesday morning.

The trailer sets the tone for the film, which many have called India's answer to fantasy epics like Lord of the Rings.

The three-minute trailer packs a lot of visually-stunning moments, heavy impressive VFX shots, and an indication of the film's grand scale. Also read: Alia Bhatt hasn't 'slept for a week' in anticipation of Brahmastra trailer release: 'Watched it 30 times now'. Watch

The near-three-minute trailer opens with Amitabh Bachchan's voice over telling us how the five elements have had their powers stored in 'astras' (weapons) since the ancient times and that this is the story of the God of all Astras- the Brahmastra. We then meet Ranbir Kapoor's Shiva, a boy-next-door, who has no clue he is connected to the Brahmastra in some way. He meets Isha and we see romance brewing between the two before we and Isha learn Shiva's secret--fire does not burn him.

Shiva realises that ancient forces are at play in the world with two sides facing off in the battle to get their hands on the Brahmastra. We see glimpses of the good guys--Amitabh Bachchan and Nagarjuna--and also Mouni Roy as the film's villain. Amitabh Bachchan's character then tells Shiva how he is connected to this world of astras and then Shiva assumes his role as the saviour he was meant to be.

Fans reacted with excitement to the trailer. One commented, "VFX are outstanding never saw this type of VFX in any Indian cinema." "

Many urged fans not to compare it to Hollywood blockbusters. One fan wrote, "Don't compare it to Marvel. marvels are made in so much budget. I'm proud that Indian cinema is changing and in less budget they came up with this movie."

Brahmastra, directed by Ayan Mukerji, will release on September 9. It sees Ranbir appear alongside wife Alia Bhatt for the first time. The two actually began dating after bonding on the film's sets. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, and Mouni Roy. The film is the first of a trilogy, which sets out to establish India's own cinematic universe--the Astraverse.

The film has seen a number of delays over the years. It began production five years ago in 2017 and after delays caused by the pandemic and other factors, reshoots finally ended earlier this year as Ranbir and Alia shot for a song in Varanasi. At a reported budget of around ₹300 crore, it is one of the most expensive and ambitious Indian films ever made.

Speaking on the occasion of the trailer release, director Ayan Mukerji said, "Marking the beginning of a new cinematic universe, The Astraverse, I believe Brahmāstra is the kind of film that the country would feel really proud of. It touches on our roots; celebrates our rich culture and it takes us forward with our technology. The film is proudly Indian and Imaginative and bringing together some of Pan-India's most renowned names was a dream come true!"

Apart from Hindi, the film will release in four other languages – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Filmmaker SS Rajamouli is presenting the film in all the four languages, while Chiranjeevi has lent his voice for the Telugu trailer.