The Odyssey fulfilled long-delayed plan for India film premiere: Nolan

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan on Saturday said he wanted to bring one of his films to India for a premiere, especially Tenet which was partly shot in Mumbai, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans. The filmmaker has finally realised that dream with the India premiere of his latest directorial, The Odyssey, adapted from Homer’s epic poem.
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.
The Oscar winner said Indian audiences have always shared a special connection with cinema, making the country an obvious choice for the event.
“We actually intended to come with Tenet originally, because we filmed here in Mumbai, and then because of the pandemic we weren’t able to. And so finally we’re actually able to. It’s a thrill. We wanted to do this for a year,” the director said at a press conference here.
Nolan has visited India several times, shooting portions of The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in Jodhpur and Tenet (2020) in Mumbai.
He also recalled an earlier visit when filmmaker and film archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur invited him to attend a conference on the future of film.
“I met a lot of filmmakers and really got to know a little bit about the film culture here. 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 films here to premiere for one of my audiences. I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to do this… Mumbai feels special,” he added.
The filmmaker said cinema remains a universal language that transcends borders and cultures.
“I just like to think that films are a universal language. One of the things I most enjoy about working on large-scale films is you get to take them around the world and you get to connect with different cultures all across the world.
“When films really connect, when they have universal themes and timeless themes, as I hope The Odyssey does, it’s wonderful how it kind of brings us together,” he said. (PTI)