Why Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" will be worth the wait for India

Hollywood saves the best for the last. The last three months to be precise. Brad Pitt-starrer action drama Fury just beat Gone Girl to number one spot at the US box office. Next up is Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated sci-fi epic Interstellar. Thereafter, there is a deluge of Oscar-contenders beginning with Foxcatcher, The Imitation Game, Inherent Vice, The Gambler, The Theory of Everything, American Sniper, Into the Woods, Unbroken, Selma, Big Eyes and A Most Violent Year. Let’s not discount the big-ticket films such as Hunger Games: The Mockingjay Part I, Exodus: Gods and Kings and The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies which are likely to keep producers happy with giant returns.

And what does Bollywood have in the pipeline in the same period? The Shaukeens, Kill Dil, Happy Ending, Ungli, Action Jackson and P.K. Yes, that’s our list of big-banner, star-driven releases. With only one featuring a bona fide superstar (Aamir Khan) collaborating with a leading director (Rajkumar Hirani), it’s no surprise then that Indian cinephiles eagerly look forward to Hollywood movies. Nolan’s drama, which shuttles between drama in space and on Earth, Interstellar ranks high among them. The buzz only got bigger when the Indian Institute of Technology, Powai revealed on Facebook that the ace filmmaker will be attending their annual festival, Mood Indigo, one of the largest in Asia. Result? Indian fanboys and girls collectively squealed on social networking sites.

Just as #NolanInIndia was trending on Twitter, questions were raised if IIT had rushed in with the announcement as the director’s representative told an international film site that he wasn’t aware of the director’s participation for an event on December 28.

However, that won’t hurt Interstellar’s chances as it is the safest bet to stop the momentum of Shah Rukh Khan’s Happy New Year, which in turn is on course to be the highest grosser so far in 2014.

So what does Nolan’s action epic have going for it? Did we mention Nolan? The filmmaker of four blockbuster hits, The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception, knows a few tricks about appeasing both the critics and audiences. He enjoys a cult status, with fans who prize themselves for knowing his genius since he started out with small-budget, independent films: Following and Memento (Ghajini anyone?). Nolan is one of the few success stories in Hollywood, a filmmaker who convinced big studios to fund the films he wants to make. That he is able to do so and still earn millions of dollars only makes him more sought after.

It further helps that the stars also want to work with him. Whether it is Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception or Hugh Jackman in Prestige, Nolan draws actors to his grand projects. Interstellar has two Oscar-winning actors in Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathway and one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood lately in Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty). McConaughey and Hathway are two explorers who travel through space on a significant mission: save mankind by finding an alternative planet to Earth which is in crisis because of environmental devastation.

Going by the film’s trailer, which reveals little and keeps viewers guessing about the plot, there’s plenty of action, suspense and drama. The space sequences remind of a visual treat like Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity. Many are banking on Interstellar to finally get Nolan the coveted gold statuette. He has been nominated thrice, and never for direction. That may change because along with the grand scale, the film also has a poignant father-daughter relationship, which is why the film is also called as Nolan’s most personal film to date.

Expectations are sky high because Nolan’s filmography, which is going strong at eight films, is yet to see a blot. So if you can sit through three hours of nonsensical frivolity like Happy New Year, then Nolan’s space adventure-familial drama at a running time of 2 hours and 49 minutes may not be that hard a watch.