Citadel director Joe Russo shares what he learnt from SS Rajamouli's RRR

Citadel director Joe Russo recently attended the Sands International Film Festival in Scotland. The Avengers: Endgame director spoke about the prominent place Indian cinema has gained in the international arena. He also praised SS Rajamouli’s smash-hit RRR and expressed that he wants to back more projects from India. Earlier, the Russo Brothers had expressed their desire to collaborate more with Indian cast and crew. 

While speaking at the film festival, Joe told Deadline that he considered Bollywood to be a huge market for cinema. He also heaped praise on RRR, saying that the film was able to get good reception worldwide due to its technical prowess, cutting-edge visual effects and “mythological storytelling”. "Thank God for movies like RRR, using a level of technical genius, visual effects, and mythological storytelling to appeal to a much wider audience. We learn about other cultures from movies like that," Joe said.

He added, “So, I guess, our goal would be empowerment. We want to support other markets as much as possible so their stories can get through in a broader way." During his conversation at the film festival, Joe Russo also spoke about his upcoming spy-thriller series Citadel, which stars Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden. 

Joe Russo and the Russo Brothers 

Joe and Anthony Russo, popularly known as the Russo Brothers, have directed several successful films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While their first project was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they later directed MCU’s two most successful films at the box office, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, both becoming multi-billion dollar films. They are also associated with the upcoming film Extraction 2, starring Chris Hemsworth.

The Russo Brothers have also directed three seasons of the popular sitcom Community. Their latest film was The Gray Man, which starred Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas and Chris Evans. Dhanush also played a cameo role in the film. The director duo is currently gearing up for the release of their upcoming series Citadel. A spin-off verison, set in India features South star Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Bollywood star Varun Dhawan in lead roles. It will be directed Raj & DK, who are known for their work on The Family Man.