Ayan Mukerji marks first anniversary of 'Brahmastra'

Filmmaker Ayan Mukerji on Saturday marked the first anniversary of his 2022 blockbuster Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.

Titled Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, the movie was the beginning of a big-budget fantasy adventure franchise and Mukerji has already announced two follow-ups that will be released in 2026 and 2027.

Mukerji took to Instagram and posted a video that included several popular action scenes from the movie. It ended with a message reading, Brahmastra Part Two and Three development in progress."

"Happy 1st Birthday, Brahmastra! Thank you for all the creativity, all the hard work, and all the lessons in filmmaking, and in life! PS: Will share some early artwork from the next stage of the Brahmāstra journey in a bit!" the 40-year-old filmmaker wrote in the caption.

Brahmastra follows a deejay named Shiva (Kapoor), who sets out on a journey to find the origins of his special powers with Isha (Bhatt), a woman he falls in love with at first sight.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Mouni Roy also featured in the movie, produced by Star Studios and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, with special appearances by Shah Rukh Khan and Nagarjuna.

The film was one of the major commercial successes for the Hindi film industry during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Marking the film's first anniversary, Johar called Brahmastra a "labour of love".

"Truly, one experience….one journey….one story that is told with the heart and soul. An army of people giving in their best to showcase nothing short of magic on the big screen. The power of love & light will continue to shine bright!!! #brahmastra," the producer posted on Instagram.

In April this year, Mukerji had announced that the two sequels of "Brahmastra" will be "bigger and more ambitious than Part One" and he will be shooting them simultaneously.

Mukerji will return to the Brahmastra franchise after directing War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, for Yash Raj Films. The movie will be a part of YRF Spy Universe.