'Heart of Stone' director Tom Harper on Alia: Formidable, intelligent, charismatic talent

Mumbai, Aug 9 (IANS) As the Alia Bhatt and Gal Gadot starrer action spy thriller film ‘Heart of Stone’ draws closer to its release date, director Tom Harper detailed both what the film is about as well as the characters of Alia Bhatt and Gal Gadot. Speaking of Alia, Harper went on to call her a formidable and intelligent talent with great charisma.

‘Heart of Stone’ marks the ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ actress’ debut in Hollywood. Regarding her acting, Tom Harper said “We were so excited that Alia was going to join us.”

“She's huge in the Indian film industry, but this is her first Hollywood production and full English language film. She's a formidable talent, has great intelligence, and expert attention to detail as well as that amazing film star charisma”.

Detailing ‘Heart of Stone’, Tom Harper said, “When I first came onboard, two things really struck me about the project: firstly, it was an original movie in a genre where there are a lot of franchises that have been around for many years, and secondly it had a female lead. I thought that was really exciting.”

Talking about Gal Gadot who is also the producer of the film, he said “Gal said to me, right from the very beginning, that she wanted this character to be a powerful woman in her own right, rather than a copy of the male action hero stereotype.”

“Of course, she does do a lot of heroic things; she is a survivor, a maverick, and sometimes a rebel. But she is not alone. There is a deep care and compassion for people as the driving force of her actions.”

“It often feels that there's one character acting in an almost God-like way, saving the world but yet disregarding the human's around them. This is a bit different; it has a bit more of a humanistic approach. That really appealed to me.”

Harper’s own vision is a bit different, and as such is different from standard spy-thriller as he pioneers a fresh narrative approach, giving audiences a different storyline with fleshed out characters that transcend conventional heroism.

Tom also delves deeper into his artistic vision, emphasizing the creation of authentic and relatable personas that forge profound connections with viewers, because at its very core ‘Heart of Stone’ apart from being a female-led spy-thriller film is also focused on the world of AI. The movie aims to explore the damage that such a powerful piece of technological force can unleash when unchecked, particularly as that technology is advancing day by day.

As such, in ‘Heart of Stone’, Tom delves into big data, technology, and the balance between human instinct and algorithms, a conversation very much present in our world today. Harper's vision here challenges conventions and celebrates the triumph of humanity amid high-stakes action.

Apart from its deep themes, great action and storyline, the movie also packs in a star studded cast composed of Alia Bhatt, Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. Set to release on Netflix on August 11, 2023, ‘Heart of Stone’ promises to be one exhilarating thrill ride full of action, suspense and thrills.