Director Atlee, best known for helming the Bollywood blockbuster 'Jawan', has heaped praise on Christopher Nolan's latest epic 'The Odyssey', calling it 'an experience beyond cinema.' The Tamil filmmaker shared his reaction on social media, placing Nolan's film in a rare category of cinema that transcends mere viewing.

What Atlee Said

In a post on his social media timelines, Atlee wrote: 'There are films you watch. There are films you admire. And then, very rarely, there are films that completely take you somewhere else. The Odyssey did that to me.'

Calling Nolan's visual storytelling 'astonishing,' Atlee added: 'The imagery speaks its own language, the camera feels like another character telling the story. and Ludwig's music doesn't just accompany the film — it enters your pulse.'

The Full Reaction

Atlee went on to describe an almost physical response to the film: 'There is an adrenaline and an immersive force to the experience that I have rarely felt inside a theatre.' He urged audiences to watch it in IMAX, writing: 'Let the film surround you. Let the film take over. Let it take you somewhere else.' He signed off with the line — 'Some cinema is meant to be watched. Some cinema is meant to be lived.'

The effusive response from one of India's commercially successful directors adds to the global chorus of praise for 'The Odyssey', which has been widely described as among Nolan's most ambitious works. Notably, Atlee's endorsement carries weight given his own track record of large-scale, high-octane productions.

Atlee's Next: 'Raaka' with Allu Arjun and Deepika Padukone

On the work front, Atlee is currently directing 'Raaka', featuring Allu Arjun and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles, produced by Sun Pictures. The film's first look — released on Allu Arjun's 44th birthday — revealed the actor in a striking bald, rugged avatar, his face partially obscured by what appeared to be a wolf's claw, projecting a primal, warrior-like aesthetic.

When the project was formally announced last year, Sun Pictures shared a video featuring several world-class international technicians reacting to the script. VFX supervisor James Madigan, known for 'Iron Man 2' and 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts', said: 'I just got done reading the script and I got to say, my head is still spinning.' Mike Elizalde, president of Spectral Motion, called it 'seriously unlike anything I've ever read — the best of the best of what I would ever want to create.'

Academy Award winner and Fractured FX artistic director and CEO Justin Raleigh said he was 'very excited about all the creature potential,' while William Write Anderson, co-owner of Lola VFX, added: 'The story is unbelievable.' The makers have positioned 'Raaka' as a film with universal appeal. With Atlee now publicly celebrating the benchmark Nolan has set with 'The Odyssey', the ambition behind his own next project comes into sharper focus.