In recent years Bollywood has witnessed several attempts at creating big screen spectacles on par with Hollywood. Among the most ambitious names is Ayan Mukerji, a director once hailed as the young torchbearer of Hindi cinema after films like Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. But when handed massive budgets, superstar casts, and the backing of the biggest production houses like Dharma and YRF, Ayan has surprisingly failed to deliver the kind of big blockbuster the industry and fans expected. Two prime examples of this are Brahmastra and the recently released War 2.
The Brahmastra Experience
Released in 2022, Brahmastra was touted as India’s answer to superhero and fantasy sagas like Marvel. The film had everything on paper, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, larger than life VFX, Pritam’s music, and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions investing a fortune. Yet the movie fell short of expectations.
Why? The answer lies not in the effort but in the storytelling. While the visuals were stunning, the screenplay was clumsy, dialogues often laughable, and the emotional connect largely missing. Audiences came for the spectacle but left complaining about the lack of soul. Brahmastra became a “hit” only due to its marketing hype and ticket pricing strategies, not because people truly loved the story.
The War 2 Struggle
If Brahmastra was about fantasy, War 2 was supposed to be the crown jewel of YRF’s SpyUniverse. After the massive success of War (2019) directed by Siddharth Anand, fans had high hopes when Ayan Mukerji was chosen to direct the sequel. With Hrithik Roshan returning, Telugu superstar NTR Jr. joining, and Kiara Advani as the female lead, expectations were sky high.
But when the film finally hit screens, disappointment followed. The action sequences were slick, no doubt, but action alone does not make a film memorable. The story felt cluttered, the screenplay dragged in parts, and the emotional punch was missing. Unlike War, where Hrithik and Tiger Shroff’s chemistry lit up the screen, War 2 offered a more generic rivalry with no real spark.
Even within YRF, reports suggested that insiders felt the film was the weakest Spyverse installment so far. For a movie made on a budget of around 400 crore, the box office response simply did not justify the investment.
Common Thread in Both Films
If we look closely, both Brahmastra and War 2 suffer from the same root problem: style over substance. Ayan Mukerji has vision, no doubt. He imagines worlds, designs breathtaking frames, and mounts grand action set pieces. But cinema is not just about visuals, it is about storytelling.
- The dialogues often feel hollow
- The characters do not develop in a way that audiences care about them
- The screenplays get lost in trying to do too much instead of focusing on just enough
In the end, movies need to touch the heart or grip the mind. If they do not, all the money, stars, and VFX in the world cannot save them.
Conclusion
Ayan Mukerji is undoubtedly talented, but his recent track record shows a clear mismatch between ambition and execution. Brahmastra and War 2 had everything going for them, superstars, production giants like Dharma and YRF, massive budgets, and huge marketing. Yet both films stumbled because the basics of good cinema , tight storytelling, strong characters, and emotional connection were missing.
It is a reminder that in Bollywood, big stars and big budgets can grab attention, but only strong content can create true blockbusters. Until Ayan finds the balance between spectacle and story, his films may continue to struggle despite all the backing.
