A lot of premieres happen in India, not just of Bollywood but even Hollywood films. But it’s not every day that the Russo Brothers – Joe Russo and Anthony Russo – fly down to Mumbai for the screening of their film! Hence, the premiere of Netflix’s much awaited film, The Gray Man, held in Mumbai on Wednesday, July 20, was a memorable affair. The presence of Dhanush, who also stars in the film, was like icing on the cake.
The event was held at a very unusual location – Famous Studios. There’s an auditorium inside the studio building and many expected the screening to take place there. However, the Netflix team instead constructed a theatre inside the studio floor, with first-rate quality screen and sound system! A red carpet was also laid out and arrangements were also made for the paparazzi to shoot pictures and videos.
Several celebrities made it to the premiere. Aanand L Rai was one of the first ones to walk in. Vicky Kaushal, Jacqueline Fernandez, Randeep Hooda, Aaditi Pohankar, Kim Sharma, Alaya F, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vidya Malvade, Vishal Bhardwaj, Elnaaz Norouzi, Krishna DK, Suparn Verma, etc. followed soon.
Dhanush’s entry was dramatic. He was clad in a crisp white shirt and dhoti. He greeted the media and everyone with ‘Namaste’. As he escaped the eyes of the paparazzi and entered the dining and cocktail area, he gave a warm hug to Aanand L Rai, with whom he worked in his debut Hindi film, Raanjhanaa (2013) and also Atrangi Re (2021).
Soon, he interacted with other guests with a warm smile. He seemed humbled as people congratulated him on his Hollywood debut. His birthday is on July 28 and when this writer asked him about his plans for the big day, he said, “No plans. Birthdays are boring!”
Joe Russo and Anthony Russo then finally arrived and as expected, the excitement went many notches higher. Soon, we made our way to the specially constructed auditorium. A short chat session was held with Dhanush and Russo Brothers before the screening. Joe Russo explained how they discovered Dhanush and what made them sign him.
Anthony Russo spoke highly of Chris Evans, who plays the antagonist, “We had the privilege of working with Chris Evans for many years, over four films, exploring the character of Captain America. During that time, as we began to know him more and more as a performer and as a person, we could see what he was capable of. He has immense range and tactical skills; he’s very intelligent and a very smart actor. It kind of entertained the three of us to think about doing something that was so far away from Captain America. As you’ll see tonight, his character of Lloyd Hansen is the opposite of Captain America. It’s hard to imagine the same actor can play both roles.”
Anthony then added an applause-worthy quote, “This is what we are discovering with Dhanush. There are hopefully many more things that we can do with Dhanush as well!”
As soon as Dhanush was given the chance to speak, the fans went berserk. On top of that, Dhanush greeted everyone with ‘Good Evening’ and also ‘Vanakkam’ and it increased the hoots!
Speaking of the Russo brothers, he narrated, “To be honest, I was very surprised they knew about me. Their team members would speak to me on Zoom about Covid protocols. They’ll tell me things like, ‘You need to get tested on Monday, Wednesday and Friday’. I’d be like ‘Hmm hmm’ (and then ignoring what they are saying, I’d ask), how do the Russo’s know about me? They’ll reply that they don’t know.”
Dhanush continued, “Then, the stunt team would speak to me about the training and action that I need to do. Again, I’ll be like, ‘Hmm hmm…but how do the Russo’s know about me?’! I am being very honest. That’s the thing that surprised me the most.”
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So did Dhanush finally ask Joe Russo and Anthony Russo when he met them? Dhanush raised laughs as he replied, “I asked that question to everybody else except them!” He also said, “Working with them is so easy and so simple. Their approach is straight to the point. Their clarity is amazing. They know what they want and they won’t let you go until they get what they want (smiles).”
Dhanush then credited his directors for improving his range as an actor. He also pointed out that Aanand L Rai was one of them. The crowd applauded on hearing his name. Aanand was touched and gave a flying kiss to Dhanush.
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Dhanush said, “It’s the directors who make me who I am or what I am. I have learnt a lot from each and every director that I have worked with. There’s Aanand L Rai here. He found me back in 2012 for Raanjhanaa. At that time, a lot of friends and people in the Tamil film industry told me that it was risky. They wondered why I am taking up the film since I have a big position there. (Their concern was that) taking Raanjhanaa would mean six months’ absence from the Tamil industry. However, I wanted to take that chance and learn new things from new people. So every filmmaker I worked with, I surrender to them. I receive what they have to say and try to bring my own element to the character.”
Finally, he thanked the audience for coming to the screening. “I love them (my fans and audiences),” he said. To which fans shouted, “Love you too!”
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