Being touted as Ayan Mukerji’s dream project and India’s answer to Marvel, the hype around ‘Brahmastra – Part One: Shiva’ has gained massive momentum. While fans are waiting with bated breath for the film’s trailer which will be unveiled tomorrow, the makers had earlier today launched the character poster for the film’s apparent antagonist played by Mouni Roy. She will be seen essaying the role of Junoon – the leader of the dark forces and the mysterious queen of darkness.
कर ले सबको वश में अपने, अँधेरे की रानी है।
ब्रह्मास्त्र को हासिल करना, यह जुनून ने ठानी है |
Meet the leader of the Dark Forces… our Mysterious Queen of Darkness… Junoon!
Watch out for her in our Trailer tomorrow!#Brahmastra pic.twitter.com/hqCwMLct8G
— BRAHMĀSTRA (@BrahmastraFilm) June 14, 2022
In case several reports about Mouni Roy’s character in ‘Brahmastra’ being the main villain are indeed true, then it boils down to one vital question. Is Mouni Roy’s casting as the main antagonist in a massively mounted film like ‘Brahmastra’ a good decision by the makers? Let’s talk about the importance of villains in films.
Since the advent of motion pictures, filmmakers have understood the importance of creating a formidable villain while narrating a classic good vs evil story. It is widely opined that the heroism of a movie hero is commensurate with how powerfully the film’s antagonist, or the villain is portrayed.
For instance, in blockbuster films like ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’, it is unlikely that these films would have achieved phenomenal critical and commercial success in case the antagonist was not as overbearing as the mighty Thanos. The feeling of the invincibility of the antagonist made our hearts actually care for the trio of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor during the penultimate finale of ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
Similarly, in S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ and ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’, the films wouldn’t probably have had the same emotional impact if the main villain was not as powerful as the formidable Bhallaladeva. Otherwise, the audience wouldn’t have rooted so much for Baahubali’s character in the electrifying climactic fight sequence in ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’. And it wouldn’t have created the same dramatic tension amongst the viewers.
Likewise, in ‘RRR’, audiences cheered and clapped for Jr. NTR and Ram Charan’s characters because Scott’s sadistic and despicable role was so beautifully written and adeptly essayed by Ray Stevensen. The bullet scene finale had simply nailed it. And ‘KGF Chapter 2’ was blessed with the mighty screen presence of an actor of Sanjay Dutt’s caliber.
Now let us come back to Bhahmastra’s apparent antagonist Junoon, which has been played by Mouni Roy.
A couple of weeks back, Mouni Roy’s look was also revealed in the film’s teaser. Although netizens generally praised the film’s overall look, scale and visual effects, Mouni Roy’s character glimpse was trolled by many. Some compared the character with a cheaper version of Marvel’s Scarlet Witch and some others pointed out the similarities with Roy’s earlier look and performance in the supernatural show ‘Naagin’. While some others were also in awe of the character’s look.
Having said that, Mouni Roy’s character poster released today was generally received well by many audiences and movie buffs on social media platforms. Moreover, the film’s director Ayan Mukerji has praised Mouni Roy’s performance as Junoon in ‘Brahmastra’ and has called her as the surprise package in the film. But when a film with premium production values is being benchmarked with a show like ‘Naagin’ – that seems to be a problem.
There is no doubt that Mouni Roy is a decent performer. Besides her popular small screen acts, she has also been a part of films like Akshay Kumar’s ‘Gold’, and John Abraham starrer ‘Romeo Akbar Walter’.
Still, many of you might opine that considering her filmography, playing a villain in a big-ticket project like ‘Brahmastra’ could adversely affect audience satisfaction. And that a relatively more experienced Indian actress should have been roped in to play the important part alongside the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Nagarjuna. However, it depends on the length of her role too, which might be shorter than we expect. And, who knows, she might not actually even be the film’s main villain!
There is bound to be more clarity on the makers’ decision about Mouni Roy’s casting as ‘Brahmastra’ villain after the highly anticipated trailer of ‘Brahmastra – Part One: Shiva’ will be released tomorrow. And, of course, finally after the film’s theatrical release on 9th September 2022. We earnestly hope that Ayan Mukerji’s super ambitious film performs exceedingly well, becoming a turning point in Indian cinema and India’s glorious answer to Marvel. What do you think about Mouni Roy’s casting in Brahmastra? Please drop your suggestions in the comments box below.
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