'Seemed crazy not to bring 'The Odyssey' here': Christopher Nolan on film's India premiere

Mumbai, Jul 11 (PTI) Films have a universal language transcending borders and cultures, Christopher Nolan said on Saturday, reflecting on his long-standing desire to launch one of his films in India, a wish he finally realised with the premiere of "The Odyssey" here. The Oscar-winning director, known for his sweeping sagas set on massive canvases, said he wanted to bring "Tenet", which was partly shot in Mumbai, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans. "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 (do so with 'The Odyssey'). It's a thrill. We wanted to do this for a year," the director said at a press conference here. Nolan, known for movies such as "The Dark Knight" trilogy, "Inception", "Interstellar", "Dunkirk" and "Oppenheimer", is in Mumbai along with Matt Damon and Tom Holland, the stars of "The Odyssey". He recalled a visit to India many years ago to shoot for the "The Dark Knight Rises" in Jodhpur and then on an invitation of film archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. "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 55-year-old filmmaker said one of the greatest joys of making large scale films is taking them around the world and connecting with audiences across different cultures. "I just like to think that films are a universal language... When films really connect, when they have universal and timeless themes, as I hope 'The Odyssey' does, it's wonderful how it kind of brings us together," he said. "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 for us. It's been really thrilling to see our films in the past connect with Indian audiences," said Nolan. The filmmaker also drew laughter with a tongue-in-cheek remark about Holland, who appears in both "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", set for release later this month. “It feels completely thrilling to come to a place… I was going to say ‘so far from home,'” he said, referring to Holland’s 2019 film "Spider-Man: Far From Home". He then added, “If you’re going to see one Tom Holland movie this year..." "The Odyssey" releases on July 17 and "Brand New Day" on July 30. With "The Odyssey", Nolan adapts Homer's ancient Greek epic poem, which follows the decade-long journey of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, as he struggles to return home after the 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. Asked if adapting one of the world's most celebrated literary works came with added pressure, Nolan said he wasn't "worried that Homer, whoever or whatever he was, was going to come after" him. "Homer has plenty of representatives who feel they know exactly how to interpret him. Any time you take on a piece of literature that's known and beloved by so many people, and this is a story that's fascinated generation after generation for 3,000 years, a lot of different people have a lot of different ideas of what it's going to be like," he said hinting at the online backlash directed against him for his casting choices. The filmmaker said his experience adapting the iconic Batman character for "The Dark Knight" trilogy shaped his approach to "The Odyssey". "We were working on a beloved character named Batman, we sort of realised that you just have to make the best film you can and put a strong interpretation, your interpretation, on it. "And I think people who love a piece of literature, in this case 'The Odyssey', hopefully they enjoy the respect that we're showing to the original source by making as good a film as we got of it," he said. The director also spoke about his decision to shoot "The Odyssey" entirely with IMAX cameras. "We weren't able to do any of the earlier films because we didn't have a way of silencing the cameras. So on this film, for the first time, we had this blimping system where you could put the camera into this box and it was quiet enough that we could shoot these guys performing their most dramatic scenes," he said. His wife and longtime producing partner Emma Thomas, who has worked on every one of Nolan's feature films, said India is clearly a market that loves cinema, whether audiences are watching Hollywood films or various Indian productions. "I'm thrilled that Hollywood is also seeing potential for bringing films here. There's been a lot of talk in Hollywood about people not going to the cinemas anymore. And I think that India is showing us that actually the future is in theatres. And so we're very happy to be able to bring this film here." Produced by Universal Pictures and Syncopy, "The Odyssey" also stars Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron and Samantha Morton. PTI BK RB BK BK