Brahmastra director Ayan Mukerji and producer Karan Johar talked about the making of the epic fantasy film at the valedictory session of FICCI Frames on September 28.

“More than another commercial outing, Brahmastra has been our labour of love. We’re thankful to a bunch of people who stood by the film all through its long journey,” said Karan Johar.

Fronting questions about the movie’s box office figures, Karan claimed that it was not possible to forge numbers anymore. “In these days of data tracking, one can easily cross check the numbers.”

“It’s been a challenging journey. Even now, it’s challenging to take forward the second and the third films franchise,” said Ayan, describing the journey of the film.

Talking about the criticism received in reviews, Ayan said, “Reviews do matter but ultimately it’s the box office that counts. I’m still waiting for a few more weeks to let all the feedback sink in.”

Responding to the question if he had envisioned a journey and a film like Brahmastra, Karan said, “I had never made a film like this. We didn’t even get associated with Bahubali and that’s why I couldn’t fathom that we were completely stretching ourselves. I had no idea that this is what Ayan had in his mind till I saw the rushes.”

Karan observed that after Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, it would have been easy for Ayan to make another commercial film to carve out a comfortable place for himself as a filmmaker. “But he didn’t do that. He is economically still in the same place where he had been seven years ago. The needles haven’t moved a bit. But his ambition and passion surmount all of that.”