First things first: The Gray Man, the Netflix movie which has had a limited theatrical release, will start streaming on the platform from July 22. Normally, films of this nature will have good expectation in India, after all it is said to be the most expensive movie made by Netflix. It stars Hollywood biggies like Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana De Armas, and is directed by Russo Brothers, popularly known as Marvel movie directors. But there is extra buzz surrounding The Gray Man in India simply because it also stars Dhanush.
The director duo Joe and Anthony Russo spoke about Dhanush in a Twitter Spaces chat. "We are big fans of him. We wrote the character keeping him in mind. You can expect a new film starring his character in the lead soon."
Dhanush plays one of the top assassins of the world and has two major fight blocks in the film. "Dhanush has a great camera presence and we loved seeing him perform," the directors had said.
Netflix is also understandably going the extra mile to promote the film in these parts. It had a special theatrical premiere of the film for special guests and media folks.
The reviews for the film from abroad have been a bit chequered, in that some have panned it mercilessly while some others have understood the commercial sensibilities of the movie and felt it to be an exhilarating mass ride.
Indians in Hollywood
Aside from how good or bad is The Gray Man, the larger question is has Dhanush managed to give the elusive breakthrough for Indian stars in Hollywood. It is not as if Indian actors have not been in Hollywood movies before. Forget actresses like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, big male stars like Amitabh Bachchan (The Great Gatsby), Irrfan Khan (The Namesake, Inferno and Life of Pi), Anupam Kher (Silver Linings Playbook and Bend It Like Beckham), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire, 24 and Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol) and Naseeruddin Shah (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Great New Wonderful), to name just a few, have all made a splash in Hollywood before. But none has managed to get a sustained career in Hollywood like some other Asian stars like, say, Jacob Batalon, John Cho, Jackie Chan and Ken Watanabe.
But these Chinese, Korean and Japanese actors were ready to relocate to America on a permanent basis. Indian stars have been reluctant to do so, as they have a flourishing career here. In the end, that may be one of the crucial reasons for Indian actors not having a sustained run in English movies. But India being a big market, and Indian diaspora becoming power centres in places like America, things may be changing. Hollywood may not be the proverbial Gordian knot anymore.
Dhanush is destiny's child
Actors like Dhanush can help speed up that change, too. The lean actor is among the most exciting talents in India now. He has already won two National Awards for acting in Aadukalam (2010) and Asuran (2019). Movies like Vada Chennai, Karnan and Maryan also add to his acting credentials Aside from being a sterling actor, he is a star in his own right in Tamil with masala movies like Velaiyilla Pattathari (2014), Maari (2015) and Jagame Thandhiram (2021) being box office and digital draws. He is a director in his own right, as his Power Paandi (2017) showed. He has also produced quality films like Visaranai (2015), which was India's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. He is a talented dancer as songs like Rowdy Baby and Rakita Rakita Rakita are YouTube sensations. Of course, he writes lyrics, and can sing --- who can forget his internet sensation Why This Kolaveridi? The Tamil star has also made an impact in Bollywood with Hindi films like Raanjhanaa (2013), Shamitabh (2014) and Atrangi Re (2021).
As you can see, there is very little left for him to prove in Indian film world. In that sense, the elusive big triumph at Hollwyood can be an attraction for him. But will he be interested in that? Well, we can answer with any amount of certainty. But if The Gray Man does well, and gets him more offers, he will surely be attracted towards it. He is in a sense destiny's child. The very many successes that he has pulled off so far in his career have come in unlikely situations. Nobody gave him a chance to survive when he made his debut as a gawky and scrawny youngster 20 years back in Thulluvadho Ilamai. From then to an international star, it has been a journey of improbability. So who knows, the Hollywood peak may still be conquered. So damn those reviews of The Gray Man. Things are just hotting up. Especially for Dhanush.
- The Gray Man, Indian Predator, F3 lead OTT releases in India - July 22 weekend
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