I love India, I love Indian fans: Chris Hemsworth

PTI, Sep 24, 2024, 6:56 PM IST

Chris Hemsworth (source: Wikimedia Commons)

New Delhi: Five years ago, fans in a theatre in India celebrated the entry of Thor in “Avenger: Infinity War” by throwing popcorn in the air. It is an enduring image and nothing like he had seen before, says actor Chris Hemsworth whose role as the superhero propelled him to the dizzying heights of stardom.

“I love India. I love Indian fans,” the Hollywood star told PTI, adding that footage from that screening come to his mind every time he visits India.

India is also where he shot a significant portion of his 2020 movie “Extraction”.

“I remember the ‘Bring Me Thanos’ moment during ‘Infinity War’. There was footage of a cinema hall in India where that happened and people (were) throwing popcorn on the chair, I’d never seen anything like it.

“Every time I go to India, I think of that moment,” the Australian actor added in the virtual interview.

The scene features the actor as Thor, making a spectacular entry during a battle sequence in the 2018 movie and thundering “Bring Me Thanos”, a dare to the enemy forces and the film’s main villain Thanos.

It is considered one of the most remembered moments in Hemsworth’s portrayal of the iconic superhero, which he essayed in four stand alone films and four “Avengers” movies.

The Hollywood superstar is now associated with another fan-favourite franchise, “Transformers”. He appears as a voice actor in “Transformer One” and is hoping the film resonates with audiences in India in a similar way.

“Transformers One”, an animated film which released in Indian theatres last week, serves as the prequel to the franchise’s earlier live-action movies, which revolved around two factions of alien robots, the Autobots and the Decepticons, who have the ability to transform into vehicles and machines, and are engaged in an eternal war.

The animated movie has a “similar energy” to the MCU, said the actor, who has voiced the character of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots.

“The themes in there are relatable to audiences across the globe. And it has a great sense of humour and a huge amount of heart, visually stunning. This film really is epic and we’re all incredibly proud of it,” Hemsworth added.

Touted as the “first-ever fully CG-animated ‘Transformers’ movie”, the movie explores the untold story of Optimus Prime and Megatron’s friendship before they became sworn enemies and leaders of their respective groups.

Hemsworth said he recently saw the film and was blown away by what director Josh Cooley has done with it.

“(It’s) why you go to the cinema, the transportation to another universe and to be swept up with larger than life characters, but have them also be relatable. I think people in India are going to love it,” the actor said.

“Transformers One” also features the voices of actors Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence FishburnQe and Jon Hamm.

The Paramount Pictures India film is currently playing in theatres in English and Hindi, in 2D, 3D, 4DX and IMAX formats.