New Delhi. The stellar cast of the much-awaited Amazon Original Series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power arrives in Mumbai for its epic Asia Pacific premiere. Recently a press meet was held to welcome the stars where megastar and The Lord of the Rings fans Hrithik Roshan and Tamannaah Bhatia were also present.
Speaking about hosting the Asia Pacific premiere of the series in India, Albert Cheng, COO, Amazon Studios, said, “We have recognized great customers in India and the country has seen the largest number of new customers across the world who entered the last year. Started streaming on Prime Video. It is one of the fastest growing and most connected locations for Prime Video worldwide, all within just 5 years of launch. The Indian-origin now has a massive fan following globally as well as one in every five viewers of an Indian original series is from outside India, and with over 70 shows in various stages of production and development in India and the US. Has the largest slate of Local Originals outside the U.S. Mumbai is globally recognized as one of the entertainment capitals along with Los Angeles and London. This made it an obvious choice for us to host our first Asia-Pacific premiere. ,
Gaurav Gandhi, Country Head, Prime Video India, said, “Tolkien is the originator of modern fantasy. His stories are both timeless and relatable. He continues to inspire people and ignite their imagination. That’s why people keep repeating him again and again. Keep coming back. And with this series, we are creating an epic world that our viewers may not have seen before. The show’s ambitious, universal theme excites us on behalf of our viewers. It gives us immense pleasure that the series will release in over 30 languages globally in over 240 countries and territories and customers in India will be able to watch it in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.”
Speaking about her love for this epic world, our favorite Indian actress Tamannaah Bhatia said, “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has a cinematic appeal that is special in itself. I would watch it again and again. And yet it feels so fresh. It really is visual storytelling at its best. Whatever the book or the screen adaptation, it’s so gripping and captivating that it takes you to another world. What I find most fascinating about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
While speaking as a true fan of this epic world, Megastar Hrithik Roshan said, “As a viewer, I look forward to witnessing this extraordinary scene coupled with powerful content. I am excited that I am 2 I’ll be able to watch Second Age of Middle-Earth on Prime Video in September 2022. There is a small connection between me and The Lord of the Rings that not many people know about. After going through the entire trilogy, my father called me. We were so inspired by this world that my father felt we could build on what we had already built. So, we took a match and through that, Krish was born. So, it’s my little thanks to the author and The Lord of the Rings.”
Showrunner J.D. Payne said, “I came to Tolkien watching a Peter Jackson movie. I was in my 20s and he was one of the few movies that really went down in my heart. The way those films were made.” Gaya, it forced me to take a deep dive and read all the books and I got super into it. Now these books have woven themselves into the fabric of my life, hardly a day goes by when I mention it Doesn’t. If something’s happening in my life, I’d say I feel like Frodo is carrying the ring, you know? Be it a wedding or a funeral, I weave these quotes into praise and speeches! So Tolkien is now a part of my soul.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showrunner J.D. Talking about the cast, Payne said, “Patrick and I knew we had to do the right casting because we’re telling an amazing story. This is Tolkien’s untold story of the Second Age. So, we are telling the story of the Forging of the Power of the Rings. We had two criteria for our casting: not only did these actors need to be great actors, but they also needed to be of middle-earth. When you see them, you need to realize that they actually arrived in our world from Middle-Earth. For over a year, we auditioned hundreds of people for each role and found 22!”.
Actress Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Bronwyn in the series, said, “My character is a healer, a single mother to a rebellious teenage son. I play a Southlander whose ancestors chose evil over good. She is trying to capitalize on it. What I love about her is that she is a very flexible, strong and caring mother. But at the same time, his determination to rescue and liberate his people resonates with me as a man who has been an activist for some time in my country, Iran. Women have been at the forefront of democracy, freedom and human rights in many places around the world, so that’s where I draw my inspiration from.”
Actor Tyro Muhafidin, who plays Theo, said, “The entire cast has supported and taken me under their wing. Especially Nazneen. I was very nervous. I was overwhelmed by JD Payne, Wayne Che Yip and Charlotte Brandstrom. The people I worked with made me so comfortable which was really important. I went from Perth to Mumbai in front of all these beautiful people which is really amazing for me!”
Speaking on his journey to India and his character, actor Lloyd Owens said, “It’s really nice to be back in India, I had a beautiful experience working here. My character is a sea captain and trying to deal with grief. He is a great character, a hero and is very special to Lord of the Rings fans because of his ultimate self-sacrifice in the end. The pinnacle of my character though is a loyal side that needs freedom. Trying to keep my family safe; Heart is trying to find freedom. I am really excited and fortunate to be here.
Actor Lloyd Owens, who played Elendil, said, “My experience was truly extraordinary. We built the capital of Numenor, which took six months to build. The amount of skill and talent in every department is enormous: they built the city from the ground up. With the changing phase of the landscape of the U.S., I saw the geography of Numenor and was very excited.”
Actress Sara Zwangobani, who plays Marigold Brandyfoot in the series, said, “Working on the show as a fan of fantasy was an incredible experience. Even otherwise, it is an absolute dream job. I am very happy to be in India with this wonderful cast. As a lover of fantasy, this has been one of the best roles of my career.”
Prime Video will release two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on September 2, followed by weekly releases in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada that end on October 14.