During the Indian premiere of spy-action thriller The Gray Man, director duo Russo Brothers showered praise on actor Dhanush by calling him 'a national treasure'
Sheetal
Moving on from Marvel Cinematic Universe, the famous Russo Brothers, Anthony and Joseph, have moved on to something different, yet action still remains intact in their imagination. After their successful venture Extraction, with Netflix, the director duo’s decade-long ambition to bring pages of Mark Greaney’s book The Gray Man on to the screen will culminate today as the film adaptation releases on Netflix. Apart from Indian actor Dhanush, the film stars Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling, Ana De Armas, Jessica Henwick and Rege-Jean Page.
It’s true that calling me ‘Sexy Tamilian Friend’ in the film wasn’t really necessary, but it added layers to my character. But we shouldn’t be termed as South actors, North actors or Hindi actors. A film, especially after the digital boom, is meant for everyone to watch. I would love to be called an Indian actor. Dhanush
The screenwriters, director and producers, all packed in one, Russo Brothers share how they had come across The Gray Man series ten years ago but then got busy with creating sequel after Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) became a hit, and the same transpired when Avengers: Infinity War exploded at the box-office. Anthony says, “We have the same expectation from The Gray Man. After working on fantasy movies where there are no rules and anything can be done, creating action around real human beings is a different ball-game altogether. You cannot defy the physics and I believe when there are such limitations, it makes you come up with new inventions in the creative processes.”
Dashing Dhanush
As for the ‘The Lone Wolf’ in the movie aka ‘The Sexy Tamilian’ aka actor Dhanush, the Russo Brothers didn’t hesitate even a bit to call him ‘a national treasure’. So, how did they came across Dhanush? Joe answers, “We were looking at action clips for reference for how our Indian character would be in the movie and watched a lot of stuff with Dhanush in it. After a certain point, we asked him and he agreed.”
On the other hand, Dhanush explains the reason to come on board was first the brand itself that Russo Brothers come with and then the role, which was nothing like he has done before. He adds, “Avik San, my character, was a whole film in itself, which is why I am not disclosing it to anybody. But for the action sequence, I commend the directors for the one-and-a-half months of training, which started from the very basics like how to stand and where to stand. When we were on sets finally to perform, I understood how efficient and meticulous they were at their work. I have done more than 50 films and reasonably good action films, but nothing comes near this one. There was a whole new territory to explore.”
Sequel on way?
The Russo Brothers will also be closely gauging the audiences’ reactions as they hint at a sequel, given the original is a novel series. What if that happens? Says Anthony, “It would definitely be bigger than the first part. We can also guarantee Lone Wolf (Dhanush) would be a part of it. My phone is already buzzing with texts like ‘more Dhanush’ after the premiere on Wednesday night.” To which Dhanush replies, “Well I am just a phone call away!”
Russo Brothers have nothing but love for Indian actors. They adds, “India has got a very vibrant film fraternity. We always look forward to working with the immensely talented actors, directors and producers here.”
