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British band's docu-feature opens with Mumbai shot

Updated on: 08 May,2009 07:41 AM IST  | 
Bhairavi Jhaveri |

Releasing today, Iron Maiden's film, Flight 666 is the first of its kind to hit Indian cinemas commercially. We find out why the film's distributors are confident despite its niche market

British band's docu-feature opens with Mumbai shot

Metal On Celluloid
Releasing today, Iron Maiden's film, Flight 666 is the first of its kind to hit Indian cinemas commercially. We find out why the film's distributors are confident despite its niche market


The Mumbai crowd was horrid to say the very least. Crowd waves erupted at every second minute and I got a taste of the madness in the queue itself. The gates opened at 4:30 and I was happy to be standing in the 10th or so row.

That's what I thought This music buff's rant on his blog (Satishsays.com) is a micro representation of the English band's fan following in India. Just like this blogger, the metal band were overwhelmed with the turnout in the first leg of the Somewhere Back in World Time Tour kickstarted in February last year, with Mumbai as the first destination.

The press conference held in the city, followed by the mayhem that struck the MMRDA grounds later that evening, became the first shot of a film project the 6-piece group decided to fund to capture on film one of the most extensive tours in rock history that spanned most continents and major cities in the world including Mumbai, Sydney, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Costa Rica, Mexico City, Sau Paulo, Beunos Aires, Puerto Rico, New York and Toronto.

Circumnavigating the globe in just 45 days, the band flew in a specially customised Boeing 757 airliner titled Flight 666, after which the film is named. The Boeing also came to be nicknamed the Magic Carpet.

The band was left intrigued with the variety of audiences their music appealed to, and the reach they had. "From younger generations to professors and even a priest, the footage on the film shows how Iron Maiden appeals to a large group of people around the world," says Ranjan Singh, Marketing Head, PVR Cinemas.

Flight 666 is a mix of behind-the-scenes action, concert clips and the fan following uproar that exploded throughout the tour. Shot on High Definition, the film gives a peek into the much-popularised rock star lifestyle on and off stage with interesting anecdotes to make it an entertaining watch.

The Indian rock audience is huge: Though a film that promises to appeal to a very niche audience, presumably only metal and Iron Maiden lovers, this doesn't perturb the guys at PVR Pictures who have acquired rights to release the film nationally. "From concert turnouts in Mumbai and Bangalore, we know there is an enthusiastic group of fans in these two cities that are sure to come watch it.

The film is also releasing in Guwahati, which is known as the rock capital of the country, along with Pune, Delhi, Jaipur and Chennai," says Singh. Timed with the summer break in schools and colleges, and coinciding with the multiplex-producer strike, the eclectic content may even seep into the secondary audiences' interest, Singh shares.

And, for the first time, all exhibitors have taken interest in wanting to release the film at various cinemas, adds Singh. The film that had its global release on April 21, will hit all prominent Indian cinemas today such as PVR Cinemas, Fame Cinemas, Fun Republic and Inox Multiplex in Mumbai, and around the country.

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What is the mascot of the band Iron Maiden?
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