‘Brahmastra‘, starring Bollywood’s newly-weds Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, releases on September 9 this year to much hype, and director Ayan Mukherji reportedly plans an early sequel with A-lister Deepika Padukone in the lead, if the first film does well at the box office.

Website Pinkvilla quoted sources to report that ‘Bhramastra 2’ will feature two main characters called Dev (or Mahadev) and Parvati. The report said that Deepika Padukone will play Parvati and that a male actor has been picked to play Dev, but did not reveal who it was. Deepika reportedly has a cameo towards the end of ‘Bhramastra’, which will eventually lead to the introduction of the sequel.

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The makers of ‘Bhramastra’ have said they plan a trilogy, with the 38-year-old Ayan Mukherji envisaging a ‘Bhramastra’ universe with many of the same characters appearing in all three, much in the manner of Hollywood’s Marvel Universe or DC Universe.

Ayan Mukherji told the Times of India last month that, “we will plan the shooting of the second and third part after the release of the first film,” and also, that, “the entire trilogy will tell the same story but the next movies will introduce new characters and bring new perspectives to the ‘Brahmastra’ story.”

The first film, launched as ‘Bhramastra Part One: Shiva’, was many years in the making; it was announced eight years ago, in 2014. 

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Ayan Mukherji’s ‘Brahmastra’, a fantasy drama with its multitude of interlinked characters, is rooted deep in Indian mythology. The first film has as its protagonists, Shiva and Isha, alternate names for Hindu God Mahadev and Goddess Parvati. ‘Bhramastra’ is the first film in which Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, both seasoned Bollywood actors, play the lead opposite each other. They got married in April this year and are expecting their first child. 

The cast of ‘Bhramastra’ includes Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy and Tollywood actor Nagarjuna. The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. 

“Kesariya,” a song from the film released recently already has 90 million views on YouTube, indicating the massive anticipation.