'My time in India was unforgettable, was looking forward to returning': Chris Hemsworth

Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth says he was "incredibly excited" about coming to India to celebrate his upcoming Netflix film Extraction. Hemsworth was scheduled to be in Mumbai on March 16 to promote the film that has been shot in India. The promotional tour was called off due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

Greeting fans the ‘desi' way, Hemsworth sent his love to India in a new video, saying he was honoured to work with "some of your best local talents". He added that his time spent in the country will always remain close to his heart.

"Namaste India. Chris Hemsworth here, all the way from Australia. As you may have heard, I was incredibly excited to come to India and celebrate this movie where it was filmed. My time in your country during production was unforgettable and I was looking forward to returning," he said in a video, posted on the official Instagram handle of Netflix India.

"But, you know all that is happening in the world at the moment. I, like you, am staying home. I know things are not easy right now for everyone so I wanted to share something I hope you'll enjoy. I want to keep an eye out tomorrow for the trailer debut of my new film, ‘Extraction''. This movie is an incredibly action-packed ride, directed by my good friend Sam Hargrave. Netflix will be releasing it everywhere on April 24," he added.

Originally titled Dhaka, the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyulli, and Rudraksh Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. He shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

"It was an absolute honour to work alongside some of your best local talents to make this movie possible. I can't wait for you all to see it. Sending you lots of love and good thoughts to everyone around the world. Stay home, stay safe. Be well," he said while concluding his video message.

Along with the special message, Netflix India announced an exclusive YouTube premiere for the trailer of "Extraction". The trailer is set to go live first on Netflix India's YouTube page, followed by the rest of the world, on April 7.

Earlier, in an interview to IANS, Hemsworth opened up about shooting in India, saying he felt like a rockstar while doing so.

"I love the place and the people. Shooting there... There were thousands of people on the streets every day and I have never experienced that on set. It was sort of intimidating as it was exciting because there were so many people," he said.

"After every take (when the director) called 'cut', there was loud cheer. We felt like rock stars in a stadium. But the warmth and support we got while shooting there, no matter how disruptive we were to their daily lives, it was so good. People were so positive. I have huge appreciation to that," added Hemsworth, whose daughter is named India.