'Hold on… did you say India?': Stephen Graham shocked by 'Adolescence' success overseas

Stephen Graham expressed surprise at the unexpected popularity of his Netflix series "Adolescence" among Indian audiences, following its March 13 premiere on the streaming platform.

"I got a text from a mate of mine, telling me how big Adolescence is in India. And my first response was, 'Hold on… did you say India?! Did I hear you correctly?' Apparently, it's really striking a nerve there," Graham told Rolling Stone in an interview.

The critically acclaimed drama, which features four episodes each shot in a single take, follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who is arrested for murdering a classmate. Graham stars as Jamie's father while also serving as a writer on the project.

The series has received praise from prominent Indian film personalities including directors Anurag Kashyap, Hansal Mehta, Sudhir Mishra, Shekhar Kapur, and actress Alia Bhatt.

"It just seems to have struck a nerve in a lot of places! The thing you have to understand, when we set out to do this… it was very colloquial. But it's like we dropped a stone into this pond, and the ripple effect it's produced has been unbelievable," Graham added.

Directed by Philip Barantini, "Adolescence" also stars Ashley Walters, Christine Tremarco, Erin Doherty and Faye Marsay, and has become one of Netflix's most-watched shows globally.

Graham explained the series aims to address contemporary social issues: "We have a real crisis going on with young men today, and we've got to start talking about it right now. It affects all of us. I just wanted to start a conversation about this, a real conversation. I didn't know if people would be ready to talk about it. But I think they are. And hopefully, this is just the beginning of the conversation."