When Disney and Marvel drove the industry with its multi-phase superhero film franchise surrounding the collection and use of magical alien MacGuffins, it’s no wonder that some Hindi filmmakers watched it, squinted, and thought that it was small fry compared to the vast collection of stories and reinterpretations of Hindu folklore and epics. But it’s not an easy thing to do. Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva has admirable ambition, but the plot is predictable, the characterization is scant, and the film just throws so much of the mythology at the audience rather than taking its time, letting the magic build up some mystery, and letting the audience get to know the characters before they launch themselves into a spectacular fight scene. It’s not a terrible watch, but Brahmastra is off to a very shaky start.

Some certain choices, like casting newlyweds Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt as the leads, starting the film with an epic fight scene with Shah Rukh Khan, and getting Amitabh Bachchan’s epic voice to give gravitas to the lore, seem like they would be appreciated by Bollywood fans who would love to see this franchise succeed globally. Had the story been done well, these choices would have been right, but now, it honestly seems that this was prioritized over the writing and worldbuilding.