Showing posts with label Tom Holland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Holland. Show all posts
When we are together, we act like kids again-Tom Holland, Zendaya
9:35 AM
Newlyweds Tom Holland and Zendaya speak about growing up together on set, sharing the screen again, and the food memories they carry from every project
Puja Talwar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 27, 2026)
Nearly a decade after the franchise that brought them together, Hollywood star couple Tom Holland and Zendaya will be seen in the fourth film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, on the heels of The Odyssey. During the London leg of promotions, the newlyweds spoke to us. Excerpts:
After five films over a decade together, what’s something that has not changed?
Zendaya: When we are all together, we start acting like kids again! We bring out a childish joy and youthful, reckless abandon in each other. Yes, we have all grown a lot, but we are still the same kids from the very beginning.
Tom: I agree.
Does Tom surprise you?
Zendaya: Yes, it’s pretty much with these two (Tom and co-star Jacob Batalon). I never know what they will do when they get together, and then they start riffing off each other. I never know where or in which direction they could go. Most of it gets left on the cutting-room floor since it’s not usable. It’s about never knowing what fun things you’re going to find in a scene.
Tom: Yes, pretty much, and most of it is not usable. But there’s always that little bit of gold in there.
And how does Zendaya surprise you, Tom?
Tom: I think in exactly the same ways. We’re actors who really love to have fun on set, try new things, think outside the box, improvise and keep everyone on their toes.
Is there pressure or excitement about being a part of a universally loved franchise?
Tom: Both of those things are true. In some circumstances, pressure is a privilege; we’re really lucky to be a part of these films. Understanding that there is great anticipation and excitement for these movies is a great motivator. And we have always taken the responsibility of representing these characters to heart.
Do you have a pre-release ritual?
Zendaya: I associate different movies with different foods. I’ll find a food and that’s all I will eat through the whole shoot. On No Way Home (2021), I had the same pasta every day for months. For Brand New Day, I had these potato things with a little dipping sauce every day. For Dune (2021), I ate so many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Early Euphoria (web series, 2019-2026) had so many Cool Ranch Doritos. It’s just funny that you get stuck on a food, and that represents the film for you.
Tom: I really don’t have a ritual, but I do carry a lot of Peter Parker with me.
How much have the characters influenced you?
Tom: Maybe I try to live my life a little bit like Peter, in the sense that he’s just super positive all the time. Being positive is something I really work towards and try to imbibe.
Zendaya: I like MJ’s weird, oddball energy.
Even in a split moment, how we are with a fan...that’s the lifelong kind of impression they’ll have of you-Zendaya
9:21 AM
Peter Parker’s appeal lies in his vulnerability, kindness and optimism. As Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon reflect on Spider-Man and one another, the conversation explores modern masculinity, healthy male friendships and why the nicest guy in Spider-Man: Brand New Day might be today’s most compelling hero
Anshul Chaturvedi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 27, 2026)
Tom, you may recall that Amy Poehler, in her podcast with you, used a phrase when she was introducing you – that he’s “the sort of man that will save us from toxic masculinity”. I was thinking that of all the people that you’ve been saving us from as Spider-Man, if you remove toxic masculinity from the narrative, you can’t write those characters. So maybe that is actually the bigger thing to save us from?
Tom: Maybe.
And so, Zendaya and Jacob, I want to ask the two of you: Spider-Man, the way it’s written, Peter Parker, the way he lives, and Tom Holland, the way he lives – are all of them collectively helping save the planet from toxic masculinity?
Tom: That’s a great question!
Jacob: Yeah, I mean, let’s say so.
Zendaya: Let’s say so… I think that what’s so special about Peter is he’s like – there’s such a quality that feels like he could be your best friend, like he could be your brother, like he could be any person in your life, and he could be yourself. And he kind of, at least I know for me, he’s always trying to look for the positive in life, in other people, and in certain scenarios, even when it’s kind of detrimental to himself, he’s always trying to do the right thing. And I think that quality alone, that positivity, that optimism, is really refreshing in a character and it makes you really want to root for him. And it also makes you feel kind of positive as well. Like when you’re watching and you see him, you just root for him and you want him to do well and you want him to like succeed. But he just constantly gets hit by these challenges. And it’s like, well, if he can get through that, I can get through that.
Jacob: And he’s very respectful.
Zendaya: Yeah. And he’s just like a nice guy. And I think that ultimately, like, I think it’s nice to – it’s nice to see characters that have an optimistic view on life, and bring you joy and still try to do the right thing. And also feel like they could be a friend, and someone that you would want to have in your life.
Zendaya, you’ve spoken that you really like the way he handles the Spider-Man aura on the road with fans, with young people, so on and so forth. But he himself has said that he used to be a little agro at people coming to him for photographs (Tom bursts into laughter) and it was you who taught him how to be that person. So are you actually admiring your own creation, what you made him? (Zendaya’s turn to laugh)
Zendaya to Tom: Look what I’ve done! (laughs) I think we’ve helped each other, honestly, because I think he’s better at creating boundaries with people and being like, ‘Actually, I’m having a day with my family, actually,’ you know. So I think I’ve gotten better at saying, being able to say no.
And I think I’ve helped you (Tom) be more open to saying yes, and remembering that you are – you know, a lot of the times to people, whether they might feel like a stranger to us, we don’t always feel like a stranger to them.
And we need to keep that in mind, that our experience of each other is different, you know and how we react to that, because even in that split moment, that’s the lifelong kind of impression that they’ll have of you. Even if you’re having a bad day. So I think we’ve helped each other in that regard.
On the topic of masculinity – Tom, Jacob, the ease with which the two of you have been with each other, always, that’s rare, because guys don’t always get along in such situations. Even among colleagues, if people are friends, but somebody is getting a slightly bigger role, the vibes often begin to change a little bit. Jacob, I saw you on the Jimmy Kimmel show eight years back when you FaceTimed Tom, and then I see you right now when you talk about him before his podcast with Amy, and I wanted to ask you - how is there absolutely no trace of, the least bit of envy or bitterness at being overshadowed by him? And Tom, he talks about you like you are his brother, and you say, ‘I love the soul in this guy’. How do you think he’s managed to get through this long of seeing you take the limelight and never have the slightest degree of angst?
Tom: (speaking through the laughter of Jacob and Zendaya) I think we’re just really good friends.
Jacob: Yeah. I agree. It’s hard to be jealous of like a really close friend. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be close friends.
Tom: And also we’ve been through every part of this experience together. And I think that, you know, words on the page don’t necessarily equal importance in a movie. And I think that the three of us share the responsibility of representing this franchise equally, because we are all three equal parts as much as what makes this franchise tick.
Tom, I’d spoken to you in 2019 in Bali and you’d mentioned that your brother had a charity project happening in India, and you said, ‘Someday I’ll go there and I’ll see what India is.’ And then you did go there. A short summary of how you found it the first time you saw it?
Tom: Loved it. I thought it was an amazing place. I thought Mumbai was a city that was really vibrant and exciting. I’m excited to spend a little bit more time there than we did last time. I remember loving the food, met some lovely people. We went to an amazing cultural event. So it was really fun. (This discussion was before Tom landed in Mumbai again for The Odyssey.)
Tom, Zendaya, do you foresee yourself directing a Spider-Man movie in the future ever?
Zendaya to Tom: I think you could!
Tom: Whether I could is definitely different to whether or not I should.
Zendaya: If you want to, you definitely could.
Jacob: Yeah, you could if you want to do it.
Tom: I think having seen Destin (Destin Daniel Cretton) do it this last time, I’d rather just work for him. (Collective laughter)
Zendaya: Destin is the best!
Jacob: Yeah, he does a lot.
Zendaya: That is very, very true. And he also has such a calm energy and is such a leader. So chill. Such great energy, so collaborative, and just makes everybody feel… He’s like Peter Parker! He’s got such a Peter Parker vibe.
Tom: He’s probably the most Peter Parker person ever.
Zendaya: Yeah, so positive, and you know, you go in and he might be stressed, but he is just like, yeah, we’re gonna have a great day, and everything’s gonna be fine.
Christopher Nolan has a 2-week rule: ‘We don’t stay away from family for more than 2 weeks if I can help it’-Matt Damon
8:21 AM
Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; July 18, 2026)
A few weeks back, Matt Damon made this rather unexpectedly philosophical comparison on the Joe Rogan show, about something that, to most of us, has usually been a less intense thought when we first plan a movie outing: “There’s nothing like watching a film in IMAX – that feeling of sitting with strangers, people from your community, all sharing the same moment. It’s almost like going to church - you arrive at a set time, it doesn’t wait for you, and your attention is total… It’s a completely different level of attention.”
And more recently, he said: “The Odyssey was an experience that I just was in it every day and loving it. And the funniest thing happened, which is just all of the things that might have been difficult for me at an earlier point in my life weren’t difficult. They became fun. Like being wet and cold was not a hardship. It was actually something I felt really lucky to be experiencing. It felt temporary and like a gift. So it was very strange. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced. That’s why I kind of sound like a born-again Christian. It’s a feeling that I’ve wanted and finally had.”
Not many actors have spoken of watching cinema, or being part of a movie, in terms that are adjacent to devotion and faith. So one was waiting to sit across Matt to ask him this: Is this just a turn of phrase, or do you actually feel this deeply about this space and your craft?
“Both”, he says. “Both. Because I do feel that deeply about it, and also... you know, it was such a huge part of my life, and the joy of going… And I talked about it in terms of church because I think, in the cinema experience, you have to go at an appointed time. It’s going to start whether you’re there or not. And so, already, that changes the relationship between something you’re doing at home that you can stop and start. And, also, when you’re viewing at home, which we all do, you’re usually in a room where other things might be happening. The lights might be on, kids might be running around, the dogs might be running around. When you go to the cinema (however), you’re stepping into this other place where you’re paying deference to this event that’s occurring. And so, it’s just a different relationship to what you’re watching. And it’s one that I treasure.”
Then he pauses to rewind. “And it was a big part of growing up. Ben Affleck and I would go to the movies – every weekend we would go. And if you got shut out of one movie, you just went to another that was playing. And sometimes stay and see two movies back-to-back. And I love that experience.”
That memory will bring reassurance to all those who have been castigated for the time we supposedly wasted watching movies. Then Matt shifts to the omnipresent post-Covid screen question: “I’m glad that it’s coming back, that it feels like we’re out of the pandemic, and that young people seem to be going again (to the movie theatres). Because I want that experience for them, because it was such an important part of my life.”
Young people? Well, there is a representative of young people right next to Matt, so we ask Tom Holland, who could still easily pass off as a 21 year old, whether he agrees with what Matt is saying, or does that sound like an older person’s perspective?
“No, I relate to what he says”, Tom instantly says, “and I’m, you know, really excited for the future of cinema. It feels like there’s been this kind of competition between streaming and the theatrical experience, and I feel like people have recognized that they’re not two of the same thing. They’re completely different experiences now. Both can exist in the same world,” he is emphatic on that point.
“And for me, to be a part of a movie like The Odyssey, with Christopher Nolan directing and kind of bringing all of those younger people into the theatre is such a pleasure and it feels like something to be so grateful for.”
Then Tom makes a point about what one has been reading a lot about – the younger age group driving the footfalls to halls globally.
“I think being a cinephile now is something to celebrate, especially in, you know, younger communities. And I think something that I’ve been learning – as I’ve been allowed behind the curtain with the producers and the directors – is that there’s such a great deal of respect for audiences. You know, I think that they really understand that people are coming into these movies with such knowledge about how they’re made, and that’s what I love about how Chris has made The Odyssey, because it’s going to challenge their knowledge. There’s going to be things that they see where they leave the theatre and go, ‘How on earth did he do that?’ I almost can’t wait for the secondary press tour where we can spill all the beans about how he made this movie as epic as it is!”
One holds back the urge to make a quip along the lines of yes, Tom, we are all very aware you can’t wait to spill all the beans . But then, serious-looking Matt’s there, and we move away before Tom spills anything.
‘Interstellar was so emotional because McConaughey’s character lost his children’s childhood’
Every one of us has seen the memes about the cost of Hollywood bringing Matt Damon home. He is forever in a distant land trying to get back home. However, it was back in 2012 or thereabout when he first spoke about how different it is personally. He has a two-week rule: ‘We don’t stay away from family for more than two weeks if I can help it’. So how does somebody with that mindset, when he plays a character like this – how does he imagine he could ever actually live this, could you be away for 20 years from family?
“No, I can’t imagine how it would impact me! It’s one of the reasons why the film Interstellar was so emotional. When I first read that script, that idea that Matthew McConaughey’s character lost the childhood of his own children because he went to that planet and lost all that time, which just was so terrifying to me. And so we did always have a two-week rule. And we always observed it until this film – this film was the first time. The first stretch I was away, I think, for three and a half weeks, before my kids came to visit. And so, yeah, it definitely, for me, it was a shocking experience in that regard, and it certainly helped me relate to the character.”
‘We were really spoiled with Chris’ script’
Nolan keeps saying that The Odyssey is made around ethical dilemmas and impossible situations, and that’s what makes this story work. We ask both the actors to give a sense of what was their ‘impossible situation? Something so far away from their own personal space or your own philosophy that when it was read out to them, they said, ‘okay, how do I create this, this moment, in this situation?’
Tom goes first. “Well, for me, it would be the idea of growing up without a dad. I was so lucky in my life that my dad was so present. I had both my parents work from home. My dad was a comedian, so his job would exist once we had gone to bed. So, in our minds, dad was home all the time. And I couldn’t imagine growing up in any other way. So, for me, playing Telemachus felt like a huge departure from the personal life that I’ve been lucky enough to live.”
But he goes on to add a caveat, as to why it was not as difficult as it might have been: “We were very lucky, though, with Chris’s script. You know, any of those questions or those unknown or uncharted territory, everything was on the page. You know, we were really spoiled with this script that was full of every detail you could possibly want. And then Chris is so up for discussion. He really, really loved to chat through the characters and all that sort of stuff. So we were really, really spoiled as actors.”
(Bollywood directors, leaving that here for you: be up for discussion, ok, even Nolan is!)
“I would say the same thing about the script”, says Matt, and elaborates. “Something like the song of the siren is something, you know, I’d wondered ever since I read it in the Odyssey, in the poem, what is that song? What does it sound like? What is it actually doing? But Chris’s specificity of what he wanted me to do was so clear. And because he builds the real world around you, what I knew for certain when I read the script was, well, I will be strapped to the mast of an actual ship in the Mediterranean, passing some rocks, with women on the rocks that are calling to me. So he’ll give me every advantage possible so that I can play that kind of existential crisis.”
‘In the case of Odysseus, the siren song is his existential crisis’
Given the amount of testosterone-fuelled, macho, angry cinema that has had the box office registers ringing away in recent years, there’s something one had to just ask them. Basically, this: Both of you play warriors of an earlier age, and the sword is your life, so to say, and yet you aren’t afraid to bring tears to your eyes, or be sad and melancholy on the screen. ‘Boys don’t cry’ seems to have returned to cinema of late. When you are a powerful man and a wielder of weapons, and you have this comfort with weakness and emotion, is this a message to the younger audience, men in particular, that being strong doesn’t mean being unsentimental or being afraid of tears?
“I don’t know if that it’s a message, per se”, Matt says, then elaborates. “I think it’s a part of being a human being. I mean, you go through trials and struggles, you know, oftentimes it can be difficult to remain stoic. It’s interesting to see where that happens, right? So, in the case of Odysseus, it’s obviously the siren song is his existential crisis, but it’s the journey home to see his wife and – I don’t want to give too much away – about his own fear in facing her, because he will have to tell her everything. And it’s a reckoning, almost, that’s so powerful, that he’s avoiding it. And so I just think it’s part of being a human being, experiencing all of these things.”
He then pauses to remind us about a philosophical undercurrent in the story: “I don’t think it’s a message about strength – I mean, he’s plenty strong in plenty places in the movie. He’s plenty brave. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t make decisions that he wishes he could take again. And it doesn’t mean that he’s not living with the consequences of those decisions.”
There’s a quaint, almost-poetic touch to the choice of words, that one hasn’t heard in ages.
To conclude, one turns to Tom for what is a fairly obvious query by now.
Tom, was Matt a father figure to you on the set? “He was a father figure to everyone on the set, you know!” Tom laughs. “He’s kind of our fearless leader, and I think Matt really set the tone for the acting department for how we should be tackling every day, and that was with grace and a smile on our face. Regardless of whether Matt was dealing with sideways winds and rain or climbing up a mountain or, you know, being nearly drowned. He always made everyone feel like we belonged and like we were there as a team and that this is going to be really tough, but we were going to have a lot of fun doing it. And I think everyone really respected him for that. And I think that this movie would have been impossible without Matt’s leadership in that.”
Would have been impossible without his leadership? Hmm, that sounded like a member of the crew on Odysseus’ ship, right?
The Odyssey team stayed for 7 or 8 minutes; as they left, Tom Holland gave me a thumbs up, says Olympia owner
3:50 PM
Before they walked down the red carpet, Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon and Tom Holland found their way to a 108-year-old Irani café that still serves taxi drivers and Oscar winners the same cup. Here’s what else they got up to
Nisrin Saria (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 14, 2026)
There are two Mumbais every visiting celebrity encounters. One is all premieres, luxury hotels and flashing cameras. The other is discovered through recommendations. Over the past days, The Odyssey director Christopher Nolan and actors Matt Damon and Tom Holland found themselves on the latter trail.
At the Film Heritage Foundation in Ballard Estate on Friday, founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur took Nolan through the Foundation’s restoration facilities, where the director watched technicians at work on a 70mm print. For a filmmaker who has spent years championing celluloid, it was a rare opportunity to see India’s preservation efforts up close. Nolan, fans would know, has also served on Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation for over a decade. That Dungarpur’s Foundation has grown into one of the world’s leading centres for restoring and preserving films probably made it a fitting stop before The Odyssey reached Mumbai.
Photographer and filmmaker Sunhil Sippy, rarely someone to be overawed by famous names, found himself unexpectedly tongue-tied. He presented Nolan with a signed copy of Opium Of Time, his 2021 coffee-table book of monochrome photographs of Mumbai. “I was nervous when he asked me to sign it,” Sippy says. “I simply wrote, ‘What an honour.’”
That evening, Dungarpur took Nolan and actor Matt Damon to Trishna in Kala Ghoda, that has fed Bombay’s old guard for decades. Nolan was, reportedly, already familiar with that menu, having eaten there with his family on an earlier trip.
A taste of Mumbai
If Friday belonged to cinema, Saturday belonged to Mumbai. Hours before the premiere, Nolan, Damon and Holland walked into Olympia Coffee House in Colaba. Founded in 1918, the Irani café has changed little over the decades. Its marble tables have welcomed everyone from taxi drivers and office-goers to politicians and film stars, while regulars still arrive early for bun maska, chai and its famously limited roast mutton. When Mirror met owner Mufti Ilyas Abul Rahim Saji, 56, last evening, he laughed at how ordinary the afternoon had seemed.
“Around 2.30 pm, members of their team started coming in,” he says. “We thought they were regular customers. They had tea and snacks, left, then returned again.”
Only around 6 pm did anything seem unusual – because security personnel gathered outside before a van pulled up. “We didn’t recognize them,” Saji says with characteristic matter-of-factness. “They came in, sat down, had tea and spoke among themselves. Then it was time for my prayers, so I left.”
The advance team had told Olympia only that a few VIP guests would be dropping in and requested chai and bun maska. True to the café’s old-school hospitality, Saji decided that wasn’t quite enough. He asked the kitchen to send out saffron phirni and custard as well.
The Saji family bought a 50% stake in Olympia from its Iranian owner, Mohammad Mirab, in 1954, when Mirab and his cousins were returning to Iran. Three generations later, copper vessels are still used here, because, Saji insists, “the taste changes if the pot changes.”
What has never changed, he says, is the place’s philosophy. “Our customers range from taxi drivers to celebrities, but everyone is our customer and we treat them alike. Everyone gets the same service,” says Saji, explaining that they go by the principle of equality taught in Islam.
Manager Inayat Maridiya, 40, knew only that “VIP guests” were arriving. “They stayed for seven or eight minutes,” he says. “As they left, Tom Holland gave me a thumbs up. Only later did someone tell me he was Spider-Man.”
Saji laughs. “I’ve never watched the Spider-Man films.”
When word spread
By the next morning, celebrity had worked its familiar magic. Customers arrived asking for the table where Nolan, Damon and Holland had sat, and even the cups they had used. They were out of luck. “They’d already gone back into the kitchen and were mixed with the rest of the dishes, obviously,” says 30-year-old waiter Shahbuddin Khan. There were even those who hugged Shahbuddin, as though a little of Hollywood glamour might have rubbed off on him.
In less than 48 hours, three of Hollywood’s biggest names had visited three very different Mumbai institutions: one preserving the history of cinema, the other preserving the city’s everyday rituals.
A film isn’t finished till the audience tells me what they think-Christopher Nolan
3:37 PM
In an exclusive interview, Christopher Nolan talks about leaving his films open to interpretation
Natasha Coutinho (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 15, 2026)
Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan arrived in Mumbai over the weekend for the first-ever India premiere of one of his films, The Odyssey. The director behind The Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2012), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017) and Oppenheimer (2023) remains one of the few filmmakers whose name alone can turn a movie into a global cinematic event. Known for pairing ambitious storytelling with immersive big-screen spectacle, Nolan spoke exclusively to HT City during his visit about The Odyssey, audience interpretations and the enduring appeal of cinema. Excerpts:
Your films continue to spark debate and multiple interpretations years after their release. Has any interpretation ever surprised you?
(Laughs) The fun thing is that if you leave room for interpretation, you engage the audience more. It is also important that I don’t judge those interpretations. I accept the idea that I’m putting things out there for people to make their own. With The Odyssey, it is no different. I make films for the cinema audience. Thousands of people have worked on the film, but it isn’t finished until it goes out to the audience and they tell me what they think.
What was it like to see Interstellar find a new audience in India after its re-release?
It’s interesting to see how things emerge in culture, when a film first releases and then over time. With Interstellar, which was re-released in India not so long ago, it has been very interesting to see its relationship with the audience evolve. That’s pretty satisfying as a filmmaker.
At a time when short-form content dominates, how important are films that celebrate cinema in its truest form?
What I like about telling an adventure story and putting it on the biggest screens possible is that this generation of young filmgoers may not have seen a film made on this scale before.
I see young audiences engage with cinema in incredible ways. I look at the work of Curry Barker with Obsession and Kane Parsons with The Backrooms. With The Odyssey, I’m hoping to open cinema screens to a large-scale story and a style of filmmaking they may not be familiar with. We’ll see how that goes.
--------------------------------------------
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s bond with India goes back several years. He shot portions of The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in Jodhpur and Tenet (2020) in Mumbai. This visit marked a first of another kind: Nolan had never before travelled to the country to launch and promote one of his films.
You’ve said Indian audiences celebrate cinema. Any interesting visuals you observed this visit?
It was fun to be at the fan screening of The Odyssey in Mumbai, which is one of the first audiences in the world to see the film. Emma (Thomas, producer), Matt (Damon, actor), Tom (Holland, actor) and I came and said hi to the fans at the end. We took a selfie with the audience, and it was remarkable to see hundreds of them with their IMAX camera popcorn buckets.
You, too, are celebrated as one of the most loved international filmmakers in the country...
To have fans in India respond to my work is a great thrill and a huge honour.
This is not your first visit to India. How has your perception of the country evolved over the years?
I love coming here. I’ve had the privilege of working here a couple of times and engaging with local crews. Working in Mumbai, particularly on Tenet, was a wonderful experience.
While driving from the airport, I saw some of the locations and it brought back happy memories. It
was really nice to be back, but it was especially meaningful to return to launch and promote a new film. I’ve never had the chance to do that here, though I’ve wanted to for many years. It’s exciting to be premiering a film here in India.
Hollywood returns to India box office spotlight with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey and others
3:05 PM
Packed slate of major releases could help exhibitors rake in robust collections in the coming weeks
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; July 15, 2026)
Mumbai: Hollywood’s tentpole films have steadily gained ground at the Indian box office over the past 18 months, a trend industry insiders expect to accelerate this month as a cluster of major releases arrives within a fortnight, boosting overall collections.
From superhero spectacle Spider-Man: Brand New Day and auteur-driven The Odyssey to kids and family entertainment Moana and horror genre Evil Dead Burn, Hollywood films offer exhibitors strong potential for robust collections in the coming weeks, exhibitors, film trade analysts and producers told ET.
“Hollywood has enjoyed a strong run in 2026, with films such as Obsession, Project Hail Mary and Michael, among others, reaffirming the strength of the English-language box office in India. The upcoming line-up is also remarkably diverse,” said Gautam Dutta, chief executive, revenue and operations at PVR Inox.
Diverse themes and audience segments are likely to play a pivotal role in the success of these event films, trade insiders said.
They foresee a highly favourable response, especially to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, given their loyal fan bases.
“There is a large fan base for director Christopher Nolan, actor Tom Holland and Marvel films in India,” said producer Rajesh R Nair. “The success of Hollywood films over the past year has become even more visible because of the weak content coming from Hindi cinema. In July, these four films are likely to perform well as there is almost no competition, even from regional cinema,” he added.
According to trade sources, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already generated pre-sales of Rs 5 crore in India, while The Odyssey has recorded pre-sales of around Rs 2 crore.
Distributors said the two films will be showcased extensively in premium-format screens, which is expected to further boost box-office collections in July.
“These Hollywood films will be released across premium large-format screens such as IMAX, ScreenX, 4DX and P[XL]. Ticket prices in these formats range from Rs 700 to Rs 3,300,” said Shaaminder Malik, distributor and film business expert.
“One must also bear in mind that they will be released in multiple Indian languages. Therefore, these global tentpole releases are likely to drive repeat visits to theatres, thereby boosting occupancy and collections.”
Film trade analysts estimate that, cumulatively, these four films could contribute close to Rs 400 crore to the Indian box office. They pointed out that a collection of Rs 20-30 crore is generally enough for a Hollywood film to be considered a hit in India.
“I expect The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day to outperform the other Hollywood releases in the coming weeks. Both films can easily collect at least Rs 300 crore, given the high level of audience interest,” said Girish Johar, producer and film business expert.
"Didn’t know they were big stars": Cafe manager on serving Matt Damon, Christopher Nolan, Tom Holland
9:20 AM
After Matt Damon, Christopher Nolan and Tom Holland’s chai and bun maska stop went viral, the manager of the Mumbai café they visited shares what it was like hosting the trio
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 13, 2026)
It’s not every day that you spot three Hollywood heavyweights — American actor-producer Matt Damon, British-American filmmaker Christopher Nolan and English actor Tom Holland — sipping chai and tucking into bun maska at a local eatery in India. But that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, when the trio visited the 108-year-old Olympia Coffee House in Mumbai amid promotions for their upcoming film, The Odyssey.
As photos and videos of their visit went viral, Olympia Coffee House manager Inayat Maredia shares what it was like to host the stars, and reveals that they didn’t even recognise them at first!
“Unn teenon ke guests jo the (their team), woh pehle 2:30 baje naashte ke liye aaye, uske baad se voh khade the cafe ke baahar hi. Humko toh pata bhi nahi tha ki jinki woh wait kar rahe hain, woh itne bade hain. Baad mein jab Google kiya toh maloom padha ki Tom Spider-Man wale actor hain,” he says.
It was only when Damon, Nolan and Holland walked into the cafe at 6 pm, suited up, and the crowd began to swell, that the staff realized they had some pretty famous people amidst them. “The three of them came. Chai peeya, bun maska khaaya, very light snacks. Zyaada der nahi ruke kyunki bheed bahot aa gayi thi. Bodyguards aaye the, police thi. 10-15 minutes se zyaada nahi ruke,” Inayat shares.
Bollywood turns up for The Odyssey's India premiere
Mumbai saw a star-studded premiere for The Odyssey on Saturday, with Christopher Nolan, Tom Holland and Matt Damon receiving a warm welcome from fans and members of the film fraternity. The event drew several Indian celebrities in attendance, including veteran actor Dimple Kapadia, who starred in Nolan’s 2020 espionage thriller Tenet, and her granddaughter Naomika Saran, actors Shruti Haasan, Boman Irani and Dino Morea, as well as digital creator Ashish Chanchlani. The premiere was preceded by a fan screening on Friday.
After Matt Damon, Christopher Nolan and Tom Holland’s chai and bun maska stop went viral, the manager of the Mumbai café they visited shares what it was like hosting the trio
A Matt Damon-Shekhar Kapur collab up next?
Natasha Coutinho (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 13, 2026)
At The Odyssey press conference on Saturday, Matt Damon revealed he still regrets missing the chance to work with filmmaker Shekhar Kapur after having to turn down his 2002 directorial The Four Feathers because he had already signed another film. “He’s has always been on my list and I would like to have another go,” Damon said.
Reacting to the actor’s remarks, Kapur tells us, “I hope the collaboration happens. It’s Time Matt, and I finally collaborate.”
Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon, Tom Holland to attend The Odyssey's Mumbai premiere
3:15 PM
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; June 17, 2026)
Few filmmakers inspire the kind of devotion among Indian audiences that Christopher Nolan does. These are the fans who turn up unfailingly for every Nolan retrospective, pack theatres from the earliest morning shows to late-night screenings, and can transform a decade-old film like Interstellar into one of the country's most talked-about cinematic events, as they did last year. And Nolan is well aware of that affection.
The relationship has long felt re-ciprocal. Over the years, Nolan has repeatedly acknowledged the passion his films inspire in India - from recording a special message for audiences ahead of Tenet's release to giving Indian moviegoers early access to IMAX bookings for The Odyssey. During the initial rollout, India was the only market outside the US to receive that privilege.
This July, Nolan is set to visit Mumbai to meet his fans. Studio sources confirmed that the filmmaker will visit India next month, ahead of the release of The Odyssey as part of the film's global tour. Given his immense popularity in India, Mumbai has been included as a key stop on the international tour, with Nolan set to meet fans and attend the film's premiere in the city.
The schedule, however, is yet to be finalized. Sources say the action-fantasy film will be the first Nolan film to premiere in India.
He will be accompanied by cast members Matt Damon and Tom Holland Holland, along with Academy Award-winning producer Emma Thomas.
"The film's Mumbai premiere marks one of the most significant Hollywood visits ever staged in India," sources from the studio share.
Christopher Nolan likely to host a grand Mumbai premiere for The Odyssey
10:40 AM
Sources say filmmaker Christopher Nolan, actors Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland likely to host a Mumbai première of ‘The Odyssey’
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 13, 2026)
Before ‘The Odyssey’ arrives in cinemas on July 17, it may be bringing Mumbai an evening to remember. Word is that acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan may host a grand India première of his epic adventure drama in Mumbai. Universal Pictures, which has co-produced the highly anticipated movie, is said to be in early discussions to have the event in Mumbai in mid-July, with cast members Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland expected to be in attendance.
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, industry chatter suggests the studio is exploring venue options in the city and has initiated preliminary conversations with Indian partners regarding logistics, security, and venue planning.
A source told mid-day, “The heads at Universal Pictures know that Nolan has a passionate fanbase in India. The idea is to create an event that feels global, but still uniquely Mumbai. There have been conversations around keeping it curated and high-profile. Right now, everything, especially travel plan, depends on the West Asia conflict.”
An official announcement from Universal Pictures is expected closer to the film’s marketing launch window.
mid-day reached out to Universal Pictures, which declined to comment.
In March 2018, filmmaker Christopher Nolan of ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy fame visited India to advocate the preservation of photochemical film. The director made an appearance at IMAX Wadala, where his movie ‘Dunkirk’ was being screened.
BT Exclusive: Tom Holland and Zendaya fascinated by the sea and Mumbai’s skyline
8:21 AM
The Hollywood couple enjoyed an hour-long yacht ride during their stay in the city. Details revealed...
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; April 3, 2023)
Hollywood sweethearts — British actor and our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, Tom Holland and his girlfriend, American singer-actress Zendaya — landed in Mumbai on Friday morning. Amid engagement rumours, everyone wanted to know more about the duo and their plans in the city.
Staying at a south Mumbai five-star, thecouple took off for a relaxing sea tour on a luxury yacht in the city on Saturday afternoon. While they were successful in quietly sneaking aboard a speedboat (transfer boat) that took them to the yacht from the Gateway Of India via a private entry, a few fans did spot them as they hurried back into their car after the boat ride.
Bombay Times spoke to Meherzad Kajanwalla, co-owner of a luxury yacht charter service, along with Gautam Bhatia, who took the couple cruising along the Arabian sea.
Elaborating on how it all worked out, given how private the couple is, Meherzad shared, “We got a booking on Friday evening for Saturday noon from an event management company. We initially thought the booking was for a Bollywood celebrity. Later that night, we discovered that it was for Tom Holland and Zendaya. It took some time for that to sink in! They were supposed to be at the yacht at noon on Saturday, but there was some delay given the security protocols, so they reached at 12:45 pm. We are pioneers of yacht charter in the city and have been doing this for the last 15 years. We were thrilled to discover that we would be taking Tom Holland and Zendaya on an hour-long sea tour in our luxury yacht.”
He further adds, “There was no massive entourage or starry tantrums when they arrived. There were around 8-10 people. Just water and soft drinks were served. Tom and Zendaya were humble, and they were kind enough to shoot a video for their guide’s son, who is a fan. They even posed for a picture with us. They were great listeners and were keen to soak in the sights and sounds of the city. The tour lasted for an hour, and though it was quite sunny, it’s always pleasantly breezy at sea. They checked out the Mumbai skyline, the harbour, Sassoon Dock and admired the architectural beauty of The Gateway of India. They intently listened to the guide talk about Mumbai’s history, the Maratha empire, the story behind Victorian names (of prominent buildings) being changed and more. They spoke fondly about Indian food.”
We also heard Holland was particularly fascinated by Indian cricket. Meherzad agreed and added, “Tom, who is extremely soft-spoken, wanted to know about the culture of cricket in India — the number of clubs we have, the IPL and the national team. ‘India is all about cricket, isn’t it?’, Tom curiously asked. They were totally engaged in the experience and not once did they check their phones. The two also spoke about how they liked cutting chai.”
It’s quite cool that we’ve made spiders a positive thing, because I don’t like spiders-Tom Holland
8:04 AM
He won’t hold a spider, is ‘a bit of a loser’ in his love life, and can be trusted to put out the odd spoiler. And that disarming charm just adds to Tom Holland, who is back as the web-spinning wonder in Spider-Man: Far From Home . He chats about spiders, love, charity, and why it was important to change the storyline from the original films.
Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; June 19, 2019)
Think Harry Potter + spider. Think LOTR + spider. Think any of the dozen horror movies with names such as Arachnophobia, Infestation, Tarantula, Eight-legged Freaks, The Mist — all of them with not-so-friendly neighbourhood spiders. What comes to mind? Many words, of which, however, cool is certainly not one.How, then, does a spider sustain this cool-ness over decades and what does Spider-Man Tom Holland make of it? Don’t most people around him actually find spiders, well… “…scary? Yeah! Well, I mean, he can stick to walls, he can climb walls. And I guess the way his fingers climb, is quite spider-like. And… he has a thing called ‘spider-sense’, which is basically him being able to pre-empt when something dangerous is gonna happen, which lots of spiders actually do have. But I think it’s quite cool that we’ve made spiders a positive thing — because I don’t like spiders! I’m terrified of spiders, man! We were doing some press the other day and they had a big tarantula there, and they asked me if I would hold it for a picture and I said, naaah!”
For a moment, one ponders whether asking Spider-Man about how active he is on the web will be too cheesy, and as better sense prevails, one lets it be. After all, Tom is still just 22; is the youngest actor to play this role, being cast at just 19. Apart from being aware of the “huge responsibility” to the superhero’s fans, he’s also just a youngster who is still excited to put on the Spider-Man costume. On which, here’s the next question: As an actor, which transition is more challenging for him — from the teenager to the superhero, or vice versa?
When he put on or takes off the costume in moments, with one change, he expands, becomes a larger persona; in the other one, he abruptly hits a kill switch and is an awkward kid again, in seconds.
Tom takes a moment to respond to this one. “I’m a hyper-energetic person anyway, so I don’t find the transition that difficult. Sometimes I do find the attention quite scary and quite overwhelming. But… when I put the suit on, something comes over me... like this childlike attitude, this feeling of happiness, and I guess that is kind of emulated in the film. I guess the transition, the one from Peter to the superhero, is just basically me being excited to be in a Spider-Man costume.”
As Tom is bombarded with queries by the global press at the promotions for Spider-Man: Far From Home, he displays Spider-Man-like dexterity, always light on his feet and quick to leap when necessary. The press recurrently asks him if he thinks he is a role model, to which he says, “When I grew up watching the Spider-Man movies, I really looked up to Andrew (Garfield) and Tobey (Maguire, who have played Spider-Man before). So for me now, I’m aware that there are probably little kids around the world who’re looking up to me. So I have a huge responsibility to be a good role model. And I really try my best to do that, with my charity work that I do with my family, just the way I hold myself in public, and the way I treat other people — I really try and set a good example for people, and it’s an important part of the job — because I’m playing a superhero, so I should try my best off screen to try to be a positive light for young people. I love playing this role, and if I never escape this role and I play Peter Parker till I’m 80, I’d love to do that. Not that that will happen. But I recognise how lucky I am.” Along the way, he lets drop that his brother’s charity work extends to India and that he’d love to visit Mumbai when he can.
He is then asked about how he feels about stepping away from the traditional story. He likes it, clearly. “I think it’s really important. There’s a fantastic picture of myself and the cast on a boat in Venice, and it’s the most diverse group of people you’ve ever seen, ever. I think we’re representing our generation, and our generation now is incredibly diverse and inclusive, and that’s such an important thing. Jon Watts (director) was really the first person to get that message across. The fact that we changed Mary Jane and Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson, I think is a really huge step forward in our industry, and I hope we can continue to do so in however many Spider-Man movies we make. Because I think it’s a really great positive thing for young people to see.”
Everyone wants to know about Peter and Mary Jane. He explains at length, patiently. “The relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane is very much that of high-school students, it’s not your big Hollywood romance, it’s not your typical romantic relationship. It’s very kidlike, he’s really nervous around her and she’s really nervous around him. They don’t know what to say, they try and hold hands but they’re too scared to. It’s very much like my love life, really. I’m a bit of a loser when it comes to that. But it was really sweet to try and bring that to life because everyone goes through that at some point, everyone at some point has a crush.”
And there’s more of teen pains than just the crush. “It used to be that superheroes fly and throw in some punches and it was all over. Now with characters like Peter Parker, he is only human, he’s only a boy who happens to have these crazy superpowers, and he doesn’t always know what to do with them. And in this film he wants to take a break from Spider-Man, after Avengers: Endgame he’s so tired, and he needs to take a break. But what he realises is that the responsibility of being Spider-Man is not something you can put down. So he slowly realises that his life is now going to be Spider-Man.”
He pauses occasionally, double-checking what he’s saying, wickedly pausing in a self-deprecating acknowledgment of having gained quite a reputation for giving away spoilers. “I don’t think I’ve done any spoilers on this tour yet, I’ve been really careful.”
And then explains where the branding comes from. It’s a fun anecdote. “What Kevin Feige (producer) likes to do when a film is released is, he rents a party bus, and we get all the producers and the directors and some of the actors and we drive around LA and go to different theatres and surprise the fans. I was given a microphone — this is at the time of Infinity War, and obviously at the end of Infinity War I die — and the writer said, this audience has just finished the movie. So I went in and said, ‘Don’t worry everyone, I’m still alive’. And everyone kind of looked at me blankly, and I thought, why is no one laughing? And I looked across and Kevin and Joe Russo (co-director) were like, shut up! And I was like, why? It’s fine, guys, I’m not actually dead! And, well, they hadn’t seen the movie yet and I spoiled the whole movie for a thousand people.”
That’s all right, Tom. You’ve made other movies so much fun for thousands more; safe to guess that thousand won’t hold it against you for long.
Rajinikanth’s Robot was almost a big influence on Avengers: Age of Ultron-Joe Russo
8:16 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; April 3, 2019)
It cannot get bigger than this. “I am not going to answer any questions on the plot of Avengers: Endgame. It took me three years to protect it from Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo, so I am not going to suddenly give it away,” jokes American filmmaker Joe Russo, of the Russo brothers, co-director of the year’s, perhaps, the decade’s most awaited superhero film — Avengers: Endgame, in a candid chat. This is his fourth Marvel film and the twenty-second film in the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In Mumbai, to kick-start the film’s promotions, Joe spoke to Bombay Times on Indian influences in the Marvel series, his comic-book fixation, Stan Lee, Robert Downey Jr (RDJ) being nothing like Tony Stark, need for diversity, longevity of superhero films and more.
This is your first visit to India. Take us through your experience so far.I have never been here before, so I came with an open mind. I am ecstatic. One of the real values of getting to work on these films is that you get to travel across the globe and interact with people from different cultures. I am a big fan of telling my children that their job in life is to collect as many fascinating experiences as they can. Part of that is travelling, cultural experiences, understanding the world and becoming a global citizen. It’s really meaningful for me to get my family here.
Are you familiar with Indian cinema?
I have seen a few Indian films like Dabangg. I think Indian audiences will love the fact that Robot/Enthiran (S Shankar’s 2010 bilingual starring Rajinikanth) was almost a big influence on Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015 (directed by Joss Whedon). There is a sequence in Robot, where all the robots come together to form a giant snake. In the Avengers movie, there was a bunch of Ultrons, who come together to form a giant Ultron. The scene was eventually cut for time, but that was a direct influence from Robot.
You have made four Marvel films in the past six years. What do you think is integral to the future of superhero films?
The more diverse they get, the more interesting they become. Everyone has a right to see themselves on screen. Audiences become more passionate, when storytellers get more inclusive. The next phase of Marvel movies will get more diverse. Look at the success of Black Panther and Captain Marvel. The new crop of stories will have more pure global influence.
During an interview Tom Hanks told us that because of the rich technology and CGI, superhero films are living up to the promise of comic books. But eventually, the tide will turn. The stories that always remain with you are the ones showing human condition.
These (superhero films) are human stories! They are highly relatable characters. Listen, I think that if it’s not your cup of tea, you tend to shutout. For a whole global generation of film goers, these movies have become very important. They are a part of their growing up years and pop culture. The best of these movies tell compelling stories about humans, who happen to have powers. The powers are secondary to the experiences of characters as people and the choices that they make. I think the best of these movies have incredible thematics in them. I don’t necessarily think you can call superhero films a fad, when it has this kind of global reach. I think you just have to respect the fact the audience finds a lot in these films to inspire and connect them.
Speaking of #Whateverittakes (the punchline of Endgame),what does it take for you and Anthony (the other Russo brother co-directing the film) to work with so many superstars on one film?
It takes a lot (smiles!). It’s been a great experience for us. We have been very fortunate that this cast is incredible. Look, Oscar winners show up just to do one day’s work for your film, so you are spoilt as a filmmaker with the love of your cast.
You hear things like Robert Downey Jr wanting multiple vanity vans. He even jokes about it. He seems like a diva. Is he like that for real?
He jokes about it (laughs!), but you know why he does that? I think it is to play along and create a persona. He acts like a diva, but he is actually the hardest working actor you will ever work with. He is exceedingly professional. There is a reason why he is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. The energy and effort he puts into his work every second and the way he approaches his character and believes what it is, the way he shows up on set everyday, the level of intensity he brings to his work ethic — it’s commendable. Even when he promotes his films... that requires a lot of effort. He has a certain effervescence about him that’s universally translated and it comes at a cost. It requires him to project himself a certain way.
Tony Stark feels like RDJ’s alter ego, Chris Hemsworth exudes Thor’s confidence in his physical strength... it’s amazing how these characters seem like they are based on the actors that play them.
It’s interchangeable, isn’t it? You want the actors to have an emotional connect with the characters they play. When you really get to know Robert, you discover that he is nothing like Tony Stark. He has a public persona that he slips into, which is like Tony but when you have an intimate conversation with him, you realise he is very different. He is warm, genuine and generous human being. Chris Evans relates to one of the important people from his childhood. He based Captain America’s performance on this man he knew, so that’s very personal. They all find a certain sense of themselves in these characters after playing them for so long.
Is this Chris Evans’ last film as Captain America? He had hinted about it.
Chris Evans said this is his last film? I don’t know what he has been drinking (smiles). Impossible to say, anything can happen. This is the Marvel Universe. I won’t give away the plot, except that Infinity War was told from the point of view of Thanos and this one is not.
The legendary Stan Lee is no longer with us. It won’t be the same without him, isn’t it?
I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Stan Lee. I grew up on his comic books since I was 10, he is my idol. I believe that his final cameo is in this film. To get an opportunity to not only work on the material that he created, but to be able to work with him was a dream come true.
What are the pros and cons of co-directing with your brother Anthony, being part of a joint venture?
The pros are the fact that we have been able to make four Marvel movies in the last six years without dropping dead. There are no cons. Of course there are conflicts. We are always arguing and that makes this process successful. We challenge every idea that comes to the table and the best idea wins. It’s about maintaining the right balance between pushing against each other and backing off. Out of that comes a chemistry that creates these movies.
The superheroes abstain from sex. There was an interesting article on this that recently went viral.
No sex in Avengers movies? There was a bedroom scene in Infinity War, which implied that. But I think it is about the demographics. These movies need to translate with the children as well as they do gravitate towards these movies. The whole family should be able to enjoy these films without having to put hands on their children’s eyes. At the core, the characters are human and their psychology has been the focus more than their sexuality I guess.
What’s next for you in the MCU?
Eleven years of storytelling, nine franchises and 22 movies culminate into this film. Now, I want to take a little break. We have made four films in six years. You need to find the right stories to be able to reach the audience on this scale. It has been an enriching experience for us.
Audience should prepare for a really emotional ending of Avengers: Endgame-Joe Russo
7:57 AM
Joe Russo, one half of Russo brothers, on their second outing with Avengers and how TV served as prep for directing the superhero franchise
Vijayeta Basu (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 2, 2019)
In 2013, Steven Spielberg, the king of blockbusters, predicted the implosion of the superhero movie genre in an interview. Over the last few years, the term ‘superhero fatigue’ has been bandied around the internet. All this doesn’t faze Joe Russo, one half of the directorial duo of the Russo Brothers, who is visiting Mumbai to promote the 22 nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Avengers: Endgame. “I don’t think it is a trend. This kind of serialised storytelling in film, it is a new form of narrative,” he shares. “People have grown up with this franchise—it has elicited emotional reactions from them and they have shared it with their families and friends. That’s why it’s the dominant form of storytelling right now,” he says, adding that superhero films have kept alive the tradition of watching films in a movie theatre a little longer in today’s world of digital streaming.
Russo, however, is completely fine with the changing times. “This is the future, and I think every generation deserves to tell stories the way they want to tell it. Movies have had a great run for a hundred years, but technology is changing all that, with the advent of AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality). We are talking to companies that work in those fields and are trying to define what that would mean when it comes to storytelling—it is fascinating where technology can lead us,” he says.
Turning away from the future and venturing into their past, we ask how they went from working on hit comedy shows such as Arrested Development (for which they won an Emmy award) and Community to landing smack in the middle of the action-packed and dramatic universe of Captain America (their first MCU film being Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014). “We didn’t want to be comedic filmmakers really, the first movie we wanted to make was actually a drama, but we couldn’t get it financed,” explains Russo, sharing that Marvel approached them as they were comic book geeks who were “very passionate” about superheroes stories. Russo does concede that working on TV shows prepared them for undertaking the last two films of the Avengers series. “Making content for TV is the hardest thing in the world for a director because it is a constant grind. It is for months on end—you are prepping, shooting and posting at the same time, as you are doing episode after episode. This absolutely prepared us.” Citing Joss Whedon, Judd Apatow and JJ Abrams—all directors who have worked in TV and delivered blockbuster films—Russo explains that TV prepares a filmmaker to handle volume and stress, both of which are present while making superhero films such as Avengers.
Another stressful factor for the Russo Brothers is to avoid spoilers from leaking out—especially when the whole world wants to know how the Avengers saga comes to an end. “People get mad at us sometimes for obscuring facts in trailers and misdirecting them, but it’s the only way to keep information from getting out,” he says, sharing that even the actors didn’t have access to the entire script. He jokes that Tom Holland (aka Spider-Man), who is notorious for accidentally slipping spoilers on social media, got only three pages of the script. “There are only a handful of people who know what happens in the movie. Hopefully, it releases three weeks from now with all its secrets preserved”. While still tight-lipped, he does share that “audiences should prepare themselves for a really emotional ending”.
After Endgame, the Russo Brothers will be done with Marvel movies for a while, but not with their actors. Chris Hemsworth features in the Sam Hargrave-directed Dhaka, which has been written by Joe Russo and was shot in India last year. The brothers will then direct a film called Cherry, a true story about the opioid crisis in the US, featuring Tom Holland. “We grew up in a big Italian family and we treat the cast and crew as family. We like to work with the same people because it creates shorthand between us. Also, it is always fun to hang out on the set, go for dinners and just laugh about things together,” Russo concludes.
I don't care about the padding around me-Tiger Shroff
5:01 AM
Tiger Shroff asserts he’d rather concentrate on his part than on who’s cast opposite him when quizzed about potential fellow ‘Students’ Jahnvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 6, 2017)
In a time when political correctness is the order of the day, Tiger Shroff surprises with his frank-speak. When quizzed about the reported induction of two star kids-turned-debutantes, Sridevi-Boney Kapoor’s daughter Jahnvi, and Chunky Panday’s daughter Ananya, opposite him in the Student of the Year sequel, the actor is mindful to not reveal much about the film’s acting lineup, insisting instead that he has no inhibitions working with newcomers since he was one himself three years ago. “When I work with someone who is my junior, I know exactly what the person is going through. I’ve never felt the need to work with established actresses even though I have had the opportunity to work with the beautiful and fantastic Shraddha Kapoor (Baaghi) and Jacqueline Fernandez (A Flying Jatt).” But then, he adds candidly, “I don’t get involved with the casting at all. I don’t really care about the padding around me. It’s the script and my character that matter,” he asserts. Wonder if he is alluding to his leading ladies or to sartorial aesthetics.
The 27-year-old actor seems to be on a roll — close on the heels of bagging voiceover duties for the Hindi version of Spider-Man: Homecoming and the official Hindi remake of Rambo, comes the news of Karan Johar’s ‘Student’ coup. Then, there’s another sequel in Baaghi 2, for which Ahmed Khan is taking over the directorial reigns from Sabbir Khan. Tiger believes the change of guard is acceptable as the vision and premise of Part 2 is completely different. Disha Patani, his rumoured girlfriend, taking over as leading lady from Shraddha and he points out that the film will be a completely different world and not a continuation to the original. “I will be at ease shooting with Disha. I share a special bond with her and I’m comfortable around her,” he explains.
Before that he has Sabbir Khan’s Munna Michael coming up which is Tiger’s third film with the director after his 2014 debut Heropanti and Baaghi. He is quick to add that dance and action are “mere decorations” in the musical-drama. “It’s a heart-warming rollercoaster, a love triangle between the three leads,” the actor informs about the film that features him in the titular role, Nawazuddion Siddiqui as gangster-turned-dancer Mahinder Fauji, and debutante Nidhhi Agerwal as Dolly. “The dance and action serve as forms of entertainment, but the film is also beautifully layers with emotional highs and complex relationships.” He also admits to being relieved to have sister Krishna Shroff on the sets as an assistant director. “She is my biggest supporter and toughest critic. She is always blunt and brutally honest but I still ask her for suggestions. She was my go-to person when I was unsure about something. For me, she was the second director on set,” he smiles fondly, recounting how Krishna would insist that he take selfies with fans who gathered around his vanity van during breaks.
While Munna Michael is an ode to Michael Jackson, Sidharth Anand’s Hindi remake of Sylvester Stallone’s cult actioner, Rambo, Tiger says, is his personal tribute to the “greatest Hollywod legend”. “He has even approved of me playing his Hindi counterpart. My effort is not to replace him but give him the perfect tribute through my performance,” Tiger exults.
Earlier this week, a video of the newest Spiderman, Tom Holland, praising Tiger after watching his moves in “Whistle Baja” went viral. Tiger, who has lent his voice to the superhero in the Hindi version reveals that one-half of his childhood dream has come true. “I had two dreams – to be Spider Man and make my parents proud. It is heart-warming that Tom was impressed with what I could do. The dubbing was extremely taxing, I had to train in voice modulation and record in different pitches and paces to match Tom’s character. I also needed a different energy for the action sequences,” he recalls.
Buzz is, Tiger’s been approached to team up with John Abraham for a big-budget actioner. The duo had shot for two days together for a commercial and had instantly liked each other. Prod Tiger on whether we will see him roaring alongside John in the Hindi remake of The Expandebles and he replies, “I have not signed any project with John at the moment but I am looking forward to working with him sooner than later. He is so cool! I used to always look up to his work but after shooting with him for two days, I became his biggest fan.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)