Project Hail Mary is creating waves worldwide and even in India, it has surprised the trade and industry with its collections. The film has barely dropped in the weekdays, and the first-week collections are expected to be around Rs. 26-27 crores. This is a feat, considering the competition from Dhurandhar The Revenge. One of the producers of Project Hail Mary, Aditya Sood, happened to be in India the week the film had its release in the country. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Aditya opened up about the film’s response, working with Ryan Gosling and a lot more.
How has been your journey to India and what sort of response did you notice for Project Hail Mary in the country?
I have been having a great trip. The highlight was that my cousin got married. Last night (Monday), I went to the IMAX in PVR Select City Walk, Delhi. I introduced the film to the viewers. A lot of my relatives were in Delhi for my cousin’s wedding. My parents are also from there. All of them – around 30 of us – saw the film. It was a Monday night and yet, it was sold out. It was incredible to experience the movie with the audience out here.
You were the one who bought the rights to the novel, ‘The Martian’. A film was made on it and the same writer, Andy Weir, then wrote Project Hail Mary. Do you feel proud that your discovery of ‘The Martian’ today has led to Project Hail Mary?
(Smiles) I thought The Martian (2015) was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now, I have the privilege of doing it twice! So, it’s been incredible and I feel so lucky.
As a producer, what was your reaction when the director duo, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, decided to opt for no green screen for the spaceship scenes?
I was involved in a lot of those decisions. We were really committed to building giant sets. We built a spaceship in Shepperton Studios (Surrey, England). I always tell people that I only wanted to do two things in my life – I wanted to be an astronaut and I wanted to make movies! I couldn’t do the first. This (making Project Hail Mary) felt as close as I could to doing that.
The sets were incredible. Moreover, Phil and Chris made a conscious effort never to cut corners and to make this film feel as tactile and lived in as possible. They knew that Ryan Gosling was going to be by himself for 90% of the film. He needed a space to operate in and he needed scene partners. We couldn’t just have tennis balls that he would just talk to. We had James Ortiz (as Rocky the alien) and five puppeteers operating a real puppet. And I think it worked well.
Recently, it came to light that the first version was four hours long. I am sure you must have seen that version, right?
(Laughs) Yes, I have. But it was never going to be a four-hour film. The way it works, you take all the footage and then you slowly bring it down. I think the film works brilliantly the way it is. Obviously, there are some bits and pieces that you lose along the way. But the essence of the film is the same.
Once the film is out on digital, do you think a longer cut will be available to watch?
Right now, we are focused on the theatrical run right now. We’ll start talking about what could be on the home video release at some point. I think we’ll definitely have deleted scenes. I don’t think whether it’ll be a longer cut or we’ll separately have those scenes.
How was it working with Ryan Gosling?
He’s incredible. There’s an American soap brand called Ivory. Its promoters claim that it is 99.44% pure. This film is like Ivory Soap for Ryan Gosling! He’s present in 99.44% of the movie (laughs).
How did the promotional video with Hrithik Roshan come about?
It took place in London, where we were doing the press junket. I wasn’t in the room with Ryan but I watched the two of them speak live. It was amazing to witness the two legends talk about our film. I loved the piece that Hrithik did. It’s so great.
At a screening of Project Hail Mary, Ryan Gosling told the audience, “It’s not your job to keep them (theatres) open, it’s our job to make things that make it worth it for you to come out”. What are your thoughts on this statement? Don't you feel it’s a two-way process – even the audience has the responsibility of going to cinemas and not waiting for their OTT premiere?
I think Ryan is right. We are in the entertainment business; we'd better entertain! And if we entertain, it's great if people show up. However, people shouldn’t be compelled to see things that they don’t want to see. At the same time, it’s important that we remember the experience of seeing all kinds of movies theatrically. Of course, big films are memorable, but we also have the experience of watching smaller, intimate stories that have had an outsized impact on our lives. I would hate for that to go away.
How do you look back at the growth of films meant for the intelligentsia at the box office in India since the time of The Martian? There was a time when it was believed that films need to be very simple and need to be dumbed down so that it works in the Indian market. But that’s clearly not the case anymore…
My parents are from New Delhi, though I grew up in Seattle. As a result, I have been surrounded by Indian culture and Bollywood. I have always known what an incredible filmmaking culture there is in India. My parents talk about all the Bollywood as well as the Western films they saw while growing up. So, in my mind, this is a perfect market for people to experience movies. I want to understand more about what works here. We are always making movies for a global audience. There are two ways to do that. One is something that’s so simple that everybody can understand without even getting the cultural references. The other way is to tell stories that are truthful and honest and compel you because even if you don’t see yourself on screen, you realize that there’s someone who’s having an experience that’s largely your experience. And that, in my opinion, is so powerful.
More Pages: Project Hail Mary (English) Box Office Collection , Project Hail Mary (English) Movie Review
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