Avengers: Endgame — Marvel aggressively promotes film in South India in hopes of record-breaking box-office success

Marvel Studios is aggressively promoting their upcoming biggie Avengers: Endgame in the Indian market as their previous release Avengers: Infinity War grossed more than Rs 300 crore in the country. This time, they are targeting Rs 500 crore in India. As North territories contribute a lot more compared to the southern market, Marvel is planning to increase the overall revenue by aggressively promoting the film in the South Indian market. So, they have roped in big names like AR Rahman, Murugadoss, Vijay Sethupathi, and Andrea in Tamil. [caption id=“attachment_6387351” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Avengers: Endgame poster[/caption] During Captain Marvel’s release, the studios brought four leading South heroines — Samantha Akkineni, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, and Tamannaah Bhatia to promote the female superhero film in Tamil and Telugu. The event was a big hit and as a result, the film registered a tremendous opening in the South. For Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios roped in AR Murugadoss, the director of blockbuster films like Sarkar and Ghajini to pen dialogues. They also paid a huge sum to AR Rahman to compose the fan anthem for the Tamil and Hindi versions of Avengers: Endgame. ( Also read: Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones — When worlds collide, which Marvel hero will take the Iron Throne? ) Launching the Tamil version of the fan anthem, Rahman said: “I think for people like me who don’t even know the spelling for Avengers, this anthem will act as a bridge to enter into the Marvel world. There is a huge fan following for Avengers already, this anthem is for the new crowd who are not aware of these superheroes.” “Joe Russo and I interacted over dinner recently. He first listened to the anthem and then asked me to play it again. Later, he told me that I have given a hit number. The core team of the Disney in India said they had tears while listening to the anthem. I’m not lying, you can ask the representatives of Marvel Disney,” said Rahman on a lighter note. Rahman also added that such collaborations open new avenues for him as a composer. “Joe Russo asked me to compose music for his studio and my friends in Hollywood say that they loved the song," added the composer. Vijay Sethupathi, who dubbed for Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) in the Tamil version of Avengers: Endgame, said: “First they asked me to dub for the trailer. It was very difficult for me to adapt to the character. But slowly, I fell in love with Iron Man, the way he approaches his problem as an outsider is something I would like to follow in my life. My son is a big fan of mass films and Iron Man so his wish of me acting in full-fledged mass films has also been fulfilled." The actor also expressed his wish to dub for Thanos if given opportunity. For Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel roped in Rana Daggubati to dub for Thanos in the Telugu version.

With the தமிழ் Avengers team 😊 @arrahman @VijaySethuOffl pic.twitter.com/lavyFhdzM9

— Andrea Jeremiah (@andrea_jeremiah) April 4, 2019

When asked why Indian superhero films like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, Kanthasamy and Mugamoodi didn’t fare well whereas our audiences encouraging Hollywood Superheroes, Sethupathi said: “All our heroes are superheroes. Otherwise how the villains fly in the sky after receiving a single punch from our heroes? From my point of view, heroes who are fighting again evil villains are superheroes." On Joe Russo acknowledging that a scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron was inspired by Superstar Rajinikanth-Shankar’s Enthiran, Rahman said: “When westerners appreciate our talents, we feel proud. It’s great of Joe Russo to acknowledge Enthiran inspiration although the scene wasn’t featured in the final cut. Hope our people too soon start appreciating local talents." The Enthiran composer also took a dig at Indian filmmakers for not crediting foreign filmmakers while getting inspired by their works. While the Hindi music listeners weren’t impressed with the anthem, the Tamil version is getting positive reviews. At the event, Rahman also said he loved the Tamil version more than the Hindi version. Andrea, who dubbed for Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in the Tamil version of Avengers: Endgame, said: “First of all, dubbing for a female superhero is an unforgettable experience. I love Black Widow for her multi-faceted characteristics, she is a complete package — she can fight, look sexy, vulnerable and also has a soft spot. You can’t stereotype her but people typecast heroines here." In Tamil Nadu, no big movie is slated to release on 26 April as the trade senses a humongous opening for Avengers: Endgame. Insiders say that the Hollywood biggie will be releasing in more than 500 screens (including the Tamil dubbed version) throughout Tamil Nadu and it is expected to give a tough fight to Sivakarthikeyan-Nayanthara’s 1 May release, Mr.Local.