Exclusive | Keanu Reeves: Grateful to have experienced wheel of life at the edge of Ganges

From watching the rituals of death to experiencing the hustle bustle of life, Hollywood star Keanu Reeves lived through the circle of life while sitting on the edge of Ganges, something he says continues to stay alive in his mind.

“During my first time in the country, I remember just being on the streets and seeing the amazing life, the cows, people. I got a chance to go to the edge of the Ganges and sit and see the wheel of life,” Reeves tells us over a Zoom call from New York.

He continues, “People mourning and the ritual of death. And at the same time, monkeys in the trees, chasing each other, running around and this, you know, all of the shamans, the families and the animal life”.

“There was also water, stones, the trees, the air… The (whole) breath of life. I was really grateful just to sit there, be a part of it and have that experience,” adds the actor, who will soon be back as Neo with The Matrix Resurrections.

Without divulging much details about his visit at the Genes, he reveals he has also been to Mumbai for “a little bit of time”, the actor, who has always been a very private person, and mastered the art of evading the limelight over the years, refrains from divulging any more details about his visits to the country.

It is not just Indian culture which has found a place in the heart of the 57-year-old star. Bollywood has also impressed him, as he puts, “I have seen a few films. But I wouldn’t know the titles of the projects”.

Opening up about his Indian connection, he further shares, “One could make connections to Buddhist writing, the concept of being and not being, in permanence, and resurrection”. And that connects Indian philosophy to the Matrix universe in some way.

“The thought and philosophy of Indian culture is certainly evident in the Matrix films. And when it comes to working with Indian talent on The Matrix Resurrections, Priyanka is fantastic. She is a lovely actress and a person. It was really great to work with her,” says the actor, who reunited with Carrie-Anne Moss and director Lana Wachowski for the film.

In his over 35 years of career, Reeves has kept himself busy by sometimes playing saviour of mankind, killing machine, romantic, and sometimes devil. But it was the action franchise, The Matrix, which gave him global fame, that’s what makes entering the universe for the fourth chapter more special.

“If you ask about how we have evolved over all these years, we have evolved because we have gotten older, more mature, gained a larger world view, and have more life experiences that we can offer into the roles,” he concludes.