Leaders are usually misunderstood: Chadwick Boseman

Hollywood actor Chadwick Boseman, whose role in the film "Black Panther" is that of a leader and superhero, says leaders are often "misunderstood".

Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film has been hailed as a fresh superhero take and the most political movie yet from the house of Marvel Studios as it addresses issues like identity, diversity, inclusion and history.

"Black Panther" is about a prince of a fictitious African nation of Wakanda who becomes a superhero known as Black Panther.

Present here at a press conference, Boseman, who plays T'Challa in the film, told media: "The idea that T'Challa is the leader of a nation that is most technologically advanced on the continent of Africa... It's an intriguing notion to a lot of people. In fact, it points to history of Africa which we sort of combined.

"As far as the character is concerned, he is a leader and also a superhero. He is facing the consequences that world leaders usually have to deal with.

"Leaders are usually misunderstood because they have more information and there are reasons why you made a decision that you made. People very often accuse them of not taking the action they expect them to take. T'Challa is placed on all those equations.

However, Baseman pointed out the distinct difference between the character in the film and the leaders.

"Unlike a dictator or a president that you see now, he puts on a suit to deal with the situation. And in reality, they would turn into their military or sorts. That itself is a revolutionary idea and also within his country, he is dealing with the set traditions where people are isolated from the rest of the world... The idea that he is breaking those wires of isolation... That is revolutionary," he said.

Boseman was here to promote the movie with co-stars Lupita Nyongo and Michael B Jordon and Coogler.

Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The film also features Dana Gurira, Martin Freeman , Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright , Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis among others.

It will release in India on February 16.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of Disney. She can be contacted at kishori.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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