Alia Bhatt ‘also felt’ that Isha takes Shiva’s name too often in Brahmastra, addresses criticism about being underutilised

Actor Alia Bhatt in an interview addressed the criticism that the film Brahmastra has received for the way in which it treated her character, Isha. Directed Ayan Mukerji and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Brahmastra is the first instalment of a planned trilogy of fantasy films.
In an interview with India Today, Alia was asked about Isha’s arc in the film, which seemed to revolve entirely around the protagon Shiva. She also spoke about the memes that Isha has inspired online, centred mostly around her repeatedly screaming Shiva’s name. Alia said that she had already pointed this out to Ayan while they were making the film.

She said, “So, two things. About the Shiva thing, I find it hilarious because I myself made that joke. I told Ayan, ‘People can literally play a drinking game based on the number of times I have said Shiva in the film’. That joke I find hilarious, because I also felt it.”
Citing the example of Dimple Kapadia’s character, who has a blink-and-miss appearance in the film, she added, “Coming to the arc part of it, I know the larger thought that Ayan has in mind for each and every character that you have seen in Brahmastra Part One. You have to understand that it has been conceptualised as a trilogy. I take it as a compliment that people want to see me, but you also have to see the timing at which Brahmastra was conceptualised, which was in 2014-2015, you have to understand, when I came into the picture, I barely had any films… Now, post that, I have had so many films that I have led, so people who like my work will always feel a certain protectiveness about how much I’m doing.”
Alia’s explanation falls in line with what Ayan had previously told . He had said, “It could be people who come in with the baggage of having seen her in Gangubai and other stuff. I have also heard people say something which seems superficial, ‘Oh Alia looks so pretty in this film.’ That happy, joyful girl in love–simple as it seems–is a part that Alia has not got the opportunity to play.” This year, Alia has starred in well-received films such as Gangubai Kathiawadi, RRR and Darlings.
Brahmastra spent an unusually long time in production, owing to its large-scale visual effects and multiple pandemic-related delays. The film was announced in 2014 and began filming in earnest in 2018. Brahmastra also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and Nagarjuna Akkineni, and features cameos Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Dimple.