Ayan Mukerji And His Grand Scheme Of Things

With Brahmastra, director Ayan Mukerji says he has melded love, myths and VFX to give India a kind of cinema it hasn’t seen before

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Nine years have passed since much of young India found itself enamoured with Ayan Mukerji’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD). In the interim, Mukerji, much like a James Cameron who has devoted almost all his ener­ gies to making the Avatar films, has invested nearly a decade of his life to Brahmastra, a fantasy action series, part one of which will release on September 9.

“Don’t mock me,” says Mukerji when he hears the comparison. “What he is achieving—making really good mainstream cinema at a very high quality, cinema that is enjoyable for everyone—is what I want to acc­ omplish in my filmmaking career.” The director, 38, is seated in his office surrounded by books, concept art from Brahmastra and figurines that show his love for Marvel’s Avengers fran­ chise and Harry Potter. A whiteboard lists the deadlines he has to meet. A trishul is perched in one corner.