Farhan Akhtar talks about his experience with Ms. Marvel; says “To imagine that Marvel would make a series with a Pakistani Muslim girl at the center is very UNIQUE and I was thrilled to be a part of it”: Bollywood News
On the evening of Friday July 22, an interesting conversation took place in Mumbai between producer-actor-director Farhan Akhtar, producer Ritesh Sidhwani and the Russo Brothers of Hollywood i.e. Joe Russo and Anthony Russo , about movies, movie theater magic and streaming , and much more. Joe and Anthony Russo were part of one of the greatest films in cinema history, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Farhan, meanwhile, was featured in the acclaimed television series, Mrs. Wonder (2022), which also belonged to the Marvel universe, just like the avengers movies. Therefore, superhero projects were the focus of the quartet’s discussions.
Farhan Akhtar talks about his experience with Ms. Marvel; says “To imagine Marvel doing a series with a Pakistani Muslim girl at the center is very UNIQUE and I was thrilled to be a part of it”
While Hollywood regularly spins movies around superheroes, India, by comparison, hasn’t released many movies in the superhero space. At Shahrukh Khan’s Ra.A (2011), Hrithik Roshan’s krish (2006), Tiger Shroff A flying Jatt (2016), Abhishek Bachchan’s Drone (2008), Tovino Thomas’ Minnal Murali (2021) etc are the only films we remember.
When Farhan Akhtar was asked why this is so, he replied, “I think budgets play a huge role. You need big budgets to compete with the kind of films that come from the United States, because the taste of the public has become accustomed to it by now. If it’s not up to that mark, you’ll feel let down or let down. We don’t have the strength to spend so much money and make the film.
Farhan had a laugh saying, “On the other hand and it’s kind of comical, if I may say so, we’ve had superheroes all our lives. Our actors were hitting on one guy and (dozens of) people were flying! So for a long time we never felt the need for a superhero! Our regular heroes would do what superheroes could! What Superman can do, our heroes can do without being Superman So we didn’t miss it.”
On a slightly more serious note, Farhan added, “It will take great collaborations with people who can bring that expertise. What Marvel did for Hollywood, we need someone to do for us. It’s not the lack of ideas, it’s the lack of resources.
An audience reporter then amused Farhan by pointing out that he “taste Marvel blood” after doing Ms. Marvel! Asked if he thought there would come a time when there would be no more geographical barriers for actors from East and West, Farhan Akhtar said: “10-15 years ago, if you asked how many actors worked in the West, we could count on our fingers. Irrfan was a prime example. Om ji (Om Puri) was also there (who went West) before him. We’ve seen Priyanka Chopra do extremely well. Alia Bhatt is also shooting a movie. So the script is changing, and we have to be grateful for the push for diversity that’s happening with storytelling in the West. This plays a huge role. It’s really inclusive. And that’s what I really liked Mrs. Wonder. To imagine that Marvel would do a series with a Pakistani Muslim girl at the center is very unique and I was excited to be a part of it. We see a change happening. I’m sure over time we’ll see more cross-pollination between the two film nations.
Ritesh Sidhwani at one point explained the difference between Hollywood and Indian filmmaking: “I have been on the sets of some foreign films. There wasn’t much difference. Maybe the scale is bigger or the number of people in the crew is bigger. The only thing we can learn is what we need to prepare (more) before we keep shooting. I realized that in Hollywood, the preparation period, even if the film is not very loaded with VFX, is very different from our films. There, most films are shot for 50 days, 60 days or maybe 70 days. But their preparation lasts a few months. During this time, we shoot for 100 to 120 days while our preparation lasts only 8 to 10 weeks. Otherwise, it’s the same, whether it’s talent work or something else. Even then, the first AD will tell you, ‘We only have 5 minutes. We need to take this photo now’!”
Host Rishi K then remarked, in a lighter vein, that Joe Russo and Anthony Russo are probably considering doing an Indian superhero after hearing those points. Farhan, in his trademark funny style, suggested that Ritesh Sidhwani should be considered for the lead role because “he worked on his abs”!
Also Read: Farhan Akhtar Reacts to Joining the MCU Through Ms. Marvel – ‘I Stood Like a Superhero’
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