One of the most anticipated OTT films of the year, The Gray Man has been keeping fans waiting. The film, which stars the who’s who of Hollywood such as Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling, Regé-Jean Page, and others, also marks two time National Award winning Indian actor Dhanush’s Hollywood debut.
Dhanush plays the role of Avik San alias Lone Wolf, a deadly assassin in the film, who is addressed by Chris Evans character as ‘sexy Tamil friend.’
While Dhanush has always maintained that there should never be a North-South divide while referring to actors, the specificity of him being Tamil stands out in the film. When News18.com asked him about being referred to as sexy Tamil friend in the Gray Man, Dhanush said, “It’s not absolutely necessary (to be referred as sexy Tamil friend) but at the same time there is nothing wrong in it. Joe and Anthony Russo told me the more we get into the details it will get more flavour to the character. So I don’t think there is any harm in saying that he is a Tamil guy from India.”
Dhanush opined that he would appreciate if we are collectively called as Indian actors and not South actors or North actors. “The world has shrunk and the lines at the borders are fading. This is the time to come together and make one big Indian film industry. It will be great if we function together and make movies for everyone and not just South or North audiences. I feel today every film is a national film and especially with the digital platforms, people have access to watch everybody’s work. It is a great time to be an actor because if you do a good job, you are bound to be noticed by everyone. It doesn’t make sense at this time to refer me or anyone else as South actors,” he said.
The actor, who has done some interesting action sequences, said he had a lot of fun training and shooting them. “The stunt crew would train you in such a way that you surprise yourself. I was surprised how fast I could move! They prepare you so well. I got just training for a month and a half, where they started with everything basic: How you should stand, how your fist should be, feet should be,” he said.
Dhanush also mentioned that despite the fact that he had done action in the past, working on The Gray Man was a different experience altogether. “I was thinking that I’ve done 50 films, I’ve done so many stunts, I know these things. But no, we don’t. You’re not ready for what’s to come, they know it so they’ll prepare you step by step where you feel like an actual pro. You need to be that good. So once we started filming, it was good fun, it felt really good,” he elaborated.
