Vikram Hazra

Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (pronounced [bɾəɦmaːstrə]; stylized as BRAHMĀSTRA) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language fantasy action-adventure film written and directed by Ayan Mukerji. The film is the first instalment of a planned trilogy, which is itself planned to be part of a cinematic universe titled Āstraverse, and stars an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna with Shah Rukh Khan in a special appearance. Drawing inspiration from tales in Hindu mythology, the story follows Shiva, an orphaned musician with pyrokinetic powers who discovers that he is an astra, a weapon of enormous energy. He attempts to prevent the strongest of the astras, the Brahmāstra, from falling into the hands of dark forces that share a history with him.

The film was first conceived by Mukerji in 2011, with core elements inspired by Indian history and stories he heard in his childhood. Its development was first revealed in July 2014 with a planned release for 2016, but its official announcement arrived in October 2017 revealing that the film would be titled Brahmāstra and would be a trilogy. Principal photography lasted from February 2018 to March 2022, with filming locations including Bulgaria, London, New York City, Edinburgh, Thailand, Manali, Mumbai and Varanasi. Production and release of the film were delayed multiple times, first due to monetary constraints, and later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film's songs are composed by Pritam, with soundtrack lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva was theatrically released on 9 September 2022 by Star Studios. The film received mixed reviews from critics. It became the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022 and the sixth highest-grossing Indian film of 2022.