It was like being in the Colosseum: Chris Hemsworth up on shooting 'Extraction' in India

Shooting in India was like being in Colosseum or doing live atre with thousands of people watching and cheering every take, Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth said on Wednesday as he looked back at making of his new film Extraction in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

star, kwn for his superhero persona of Thor in Marvel Cinematic Universe films, was supposed to travel to India again this March to promote his film but trip got cancelled because of coronavirus outbreak. Thousands of people up in buildings and bridges watching and we'd call cut' and y'd all start cheering and applauding, Hemsworth said at a virtual press conference in response to a question from PTI.

He was in India towards end of vember 2018 to shoot for film. It was like being in Colosseum or a live atre, which is very new to me but quite a lot of fun, Hemsworth added from his home in Australia.  Joining him in press conference was Extraction director Sam Hargrave. 

Netflix production, set in Mumbai and Dhaka, revolves around Hemsworth's character, Tyler Rake, a former military man-turned-black market mercenary with emotional scars, embarking on a dangerous mission to extract child of an Indian drug dealer from his rival in Bangladesh.

Hemsworth said he had never shot in India before, making experience more unique. I have such pleasant memories of people and interactions re, and a lot of enthusiasm and positivity. re was real excitement for us shooting re. We had never shot re before. From crew it felt like re were t many films like this being shot re so re was a unique sort of originality to it, he added.

Extraction brings toger talent from last two Avengers movies. It is based on a script by filmmaker Joe Russo. It also marks directorial debut of Hargrave, who worked as a stunt coordinator on Russo's Endgame. Hargrave, who joined in from Los Angeles, said reason for Russo  setting film in India and Bangladesh was because it's a part of world Western audiences are yet to explore.

Western audiences have t seen that side of world. It is a very unique setting. It offered a lot of opportunities visually because it is a stunning part of world." re were logistical challenges while shooting film in India, but it also made process fun, he said. After India, team moved production to a place near Bangkok, Thailand.

We were shooting a lot of intricate action sequences, so sometimes we would have cars flying down streets 30-50 miles an hour and you had to lock up streets. You had 300 security personnel just to make sure that one got hurt because as crazy as you want to make se action sequences, safety is our number one concern. So that was one logistical hurdle that we came through with a great crew, he said. Hargrave was particularly impressed with local crew.

It was a really fun environment to make a movie. energy was palpable, you could feel it. It kind of made going to work fun, he added. film, slated to drop on April 24 on Netflix, comes at a time when people everywhere are locked up and all atrical releases are on hold, making Extraction that rare summer action release this season.

Hemsworth said his only hope is ir film, which has stunningaction sequences shot without aid of green screen and visual effects, gives people a chance to escape to a different world under lockdown. If it provides an escape to people, n it's fantastic. That's what I love about cinema or art form; (it) is that you are able to be transported to ar place and experience... if you are isolating, re is a great joy in that. I have spent many of my hours watching my favourite films and new TV shows, he said.

movie features many Indian actors, including Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyuli and Rudraksh Jaiswal,  in prominent roles. Hemsworth said he could t get a chance to catch up on Hindi movies during his Mumbai stay, but loved collaborating with local talent, especially Hooda. Most of my stuff was with Randeep. We had fight sequences and hand-to-hand combat and endless rehearsals. It was so exhausting for both of us and yet when you have got an actor opposite you who is putting 110 per cent, it's a team effort. Neir of you is willing to quit, Hemsworth said.

Hargrave also praised Hooda as a person with depth and gravity. director said it was "a bit daunting" to direct actors of incredible quality in langu that y understood but he didn't. It was extremely challenging because directing a movie is a lot of work... To add on to that, directing actors in two different langus, neir of which you speak-- Hindi and Bengali -- was extremely challenging."

Hargrave said despite t understanding langu, he knew when scene felt off. That's one of beauties of cinema because you may t be able to speak langu but you understand scenario and intention in that scene..." Hemsworth said story, a redemptive tale about an emotionally scarred man with a moral compass, has feel of old Western movies of 70s and 80s, giving it a layer of aunticity.

It is a straight kind of narrative, re is a moral compass but re is a sort of grey area... Due to Sam's ( director) talent to do everything y used to do back in 70s and 80s... you didn't rely on special effects... It was rewarding to shoot like that."