This is not ideal for someone older Hollywood release to make way for Indian film. But such was the craze for Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge that even a globally awaited mega project like Project Hail Mary decided to postpone its India release to accommodate the Bollywood film. In the end, the move worked out for both films. Dhurandhar 2 had a record breaking opening week, followed by the project Hail Mary which also took a strong start in the country. Aditya Sood, one of the producers of the Ryan Gosling-starrer, spoke to HT about the release and the fan-led campaign for an IMAX release in India.
Aditya Sood on India release of Project Hail Mary
We met Aditya in Mumbai, his first visit to his native country after the pandemic. He’s in the country for a family wedding, but conversation is everything Project Hail Mary. “I’ve watched it probably seven or eight times since we released it, and I can’t tell you what it felt like every time,” he told us.
Aditya has spent his entire life in America, of which 30 years have been spent in Hollywood, working in various studios and production houses. But even he was surprised by the enthusiasm of fans for the Hail Mary project in India.
When the film released on 26 March, it did not get IMAX screens in India, as most of them were given to Dhurandhar 2. But as fans campaigned on social media, exhibitors took a softer stance and eventually, a film shot for this format was able to secure those coveted screens. “I’m grateful, and I send love to the people who did that,” says Aditya, “We made this film with so much passion; we spent six years of our lives to get it. Then to get that kind of passion and enthusiasm makes it worthwhile.”
‘We knew what a big man Dhurandhar is’
Project Hail Mary was released worldwide on March 19. But in India, it was only 2 days. Even a pan-Indian film like Toxic postponed its release. Sony India also went ahead with the project Hail Mary. Talking about the delayed release, Aditya says, “We have an amazing team in India who knows the local market. That’s why you’re not making decisions in Los Angeles. Obviously, we knew how big of a deal Dhurandhar 2 was going to be.”
Many feared that the delay in release might affect the film’s performance in India as audiences around the world had started talking about the film on social media by the time it was released here. But Aditya says that the delayed release might have helped the film. “I don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world when you see the excitement from the rest of the world,” he says. Aditya feels that the enthusiasm for the project Hail Mary reflected the story of the film, bringing together fans around the world. “It’s fun because it reflects what’s in the story: The whole world is experiencing this; it’s a moment where we can all do something together. And I think that’s really powerful.”
Project Hail Mary has been a global success and has grossed nearly $500 million since its release three weeks ago. The film has earned around Rs 10 crore in India ₹50 crores in two weeks, a good number for a non-franchise Hollywood film. Apart from Ryan Gosling, the film also stars James Ortiz.