The biggest battle for the Iron Throne began early in Mumbai as Disney+ Hotstar, on 16 August, hosted a grand premiere of the most-awaited HBO series House of the Dragon. The new 10-episode series, based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire and Blood, is a story of the house of Targaryen, set 200 years before the events that captivated global audiences in Game of Thrones. The event was graced by several celebrities and influencers, including Jim Sarbh, Rohit Saraf, Prajakta Koli, Plabita Borthakur, Aahana Kumra, Rohan Joshi and Abhishek Banerjee, Varun Thakur, Rohan Joshi, Yashaswini Dayama, Samara Tijori, Atul Kulkarni, Amit Tandon among others.
With the king’s guard greeting the guests with their glorious swords, the event featured a walkway wall of the series’ characters, along with the magnificent dragon nest and all things dragon! The event also showcased grandeur stalls of exotic items travelling from Dorne for the tournament.
Many stars wished to play the character of princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Emma D’Arcy. Actor Abhishek Banerjee said, “Princess Rhaenyra is my new favourite. I can speculate that she will do a lot in the series, and when a woman becomes a leader among powerful men, a lot of crazy stuff will happen.”
Jim Sarbh, known for choosing unconventional roles, found prince Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith, interesting. He said, “The journey of Daemon would be pretty exciting to watch. The cast-out brother eventually contesting the decision for the battle of the throne sounds exciting.”
Prajakta Koli said she is obsessed with the mighty dragons from House of the Dragon and that she couldn’t take her eyes off princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Meanwhile, actor Plabita Borthakur said that she wishes to play princess Rhaenyra Targaryen if she had a chance. “I see a lot of certainty and confidence in her. She seems very clear, un-confusing.”
All episodes of House of the Dragon starring Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar starting 22 August, with new episodes releasing every Monday at 6:30 am IST, which is the same time as the US telecast.
