‘Brahmastra 2’ loses Jio Studios backing

Jio Studios, riding the crest of success with Dhurandhar, is not going to be involved with Brahmastra 2.

Director Ayan Mukerji Mukerji’s banner, Starlight Pictures Private Limited, holds the IP rights for the franchise and will produce the project, but discussions were on with Jio Studios to handle distribution and financing. The talks came to nothing, and, now, neither Jio Studios nor Star Studios, which backed the first film, will be involved in the sequel.

Mukerji is looking for a new studio partner to back the high-budget fantasy sequel.

The ambitious sequel has an estimated Rs 550 crore budget. Shooting is projected to begin in April 2027. Lead star Ranbir Kapoor will transition to the project directly after wrapping up Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 2 and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War.

Deepika not a part of Astraverse

Deepika Padukone’s team has reportedly denied her involvement in Brahmastra 2, ruling out recent reports that she was being considered to play Amrita in the next chapter of the Astraverse.

The sequel is expected to explore the love story of Amrita and Dev. After glimpses of Amrita in the first film, many fans speculated that Deepika would play Shiva’s (Ranbir Kapoor) mother. This was followed by reports that Ranveer Singh and later Hrithik Roshan were being considered to play Dev, Shiva’s father. Now, reports suggest that Ranbir could take on a dual role as Shiva and Dev, while Alia Bhatt is expected to reprise her role as Isha in an extended appearance.

Meanwhile, Saiyaara star Aneet Padda is reportedly being considered for an important role in the film, although nothing has been finalised yet.