Christopher Nolan on Saturday recalled that he planned to visit India during the release of Tenet, but could not due to the pandemic. “We actually intended to come with Tenet because we filmed here in Mumbai, but because of the pandemic we weren’t able to. So finally we’re actually able to. It’s a thrill. We’ve wanted to do this for years.” He added, “I’ve never been anywhere in the world with an appreciation of what movies can be and what they should be for audiences. To me, it seemed crazy that we wouldn’t be bringing our film here to premiere it.”
Nolan, known for movies such as “The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Inception”, “Interstellar”, “Dunkirk” and “Oppenheimer”, is in Mumbai along with the film’s two lead stars Matt Damon and Tom Holland.
Calling the India visit “the ultimate expression” of cinema’s power to unite people, Nolan said travelling across the world to watch audiences laugh and cry together is among the most rewarding aspects of filmmaking. “It’s pretty thrilling to come to a completely different place and find commonality, find entertainment together, find laughter and tears together in a movie. It’s what the movie is all about, so this is the ultimate kind of expression of that for us. “It’s been really thrilling to see our films in the past connect with Indian audiences,” he added.
Fans in Mumbai were up for a delight as the acclaimed maker made a surprise appearance at a special press screening of his mythological epic The Odyssey on Friday. Along with Nolan were film lead stars Matt Damon and Tom Holland and Emma Thomas producer- wife of Christopher Nolan. The event took an unexpected turn as the director engaged in a playful banter with the crowd as the audience posed questions that instantly sparked up the theatre.
The Odyssey adopts a Greek epic poem that follows the decade long journey of Odysseus the King of Ithaca as he struggles to return home after Trojan war. Along the way he faces the wrath of the gods, encounters mythical creatures such as the Cyclops and Sirens, and endures a series of perilous trials that test his courage, resilience and wit.