It
was
announced
that
Vidyut
Jammwal
will
be
playing
the
lead
role
in
Junglee,
an
action-adventure
film
revolving
around
a
man
and
an
elephant.
The
film
has
him
playing
veterinarian-turned-activist-avenger,
the
film,
titled
Junglee,
will
be
directed
by
Chuck.
Now
in
a
latest
turn
of
events,
the
film
will
be
directed
by
ace
Hollywood
filmmaker
Chuck
Russell
who
is
known
for
films
like
Nightmare
on
Elm
Street
3:
Dream
Warriors',
'The
Mask',
'Eraser'
and
'The
Scorpion
King'.
Chuck
was
also
the
executive
producer
on
the
critically
acclaimed
Michael
Mann-directed
neo-noir
crime
thriller
'Collateral
(2004)'.
Priti
Shahani
(President)
of
Junglee
Pictures
says,"We
reached
out
to
Chuck
saying
that
we
had
a
story
which
is
set
locally
but
could
appeal
to
him
since
it
touches
on
an
issue
of
global
significance,
with
the
United
Nations
lobbying
to
end
poaching
and
the
ivory
movement.
He
read
it,
came
down
to
India
to
meet
and
discuss
the
structure
with
Ritesh
(Shah)
who
has
written
this
heart-warming
story
and
us,
agreed
to
direct
it
and
will
be
flying
in
next
month
to
start
prep"
Priti
also
highlighted
the
fact
that
Chuck
was
their
go-to
person
because
animals
are
a
part
of
his
narratives,
be
it
the
dog
in
The
Mask
or
the
camels
in
The
Scorpion
King.
She
further
maintained,
"Also,
surprisingly,
for
an
American
director,
he
loves
song
and
dance
which
will
be
an
integral
part
of
our
commercial
entertainer
with
a
message"
The
action
thriller
film
unfolds
in
the
Jungles
of
Kerala
and
will
be
shot
in
the
state's
elephant
reserve.
Vidyut
Jammwal
plays
the
character
of
Ashwath
who
is
coming
home
from
Mumbai
for
his
mother's
10th
death
anniversary
and
reuniting
with
his
elephant
friend.
Priti
adds,
"The
stunning
location
is
a
part
of
the
storytelling
and
from
the
research
perspective,
the
poaching
trail
in
India
starts
from
Kerala,
passes
through
Orissa
and
Kolkata
in
West
Bengal
to
head
to
Thailand," informs
Priti,
quick
to
add
that
the
animals
will
not
be
expected
to
perform
any
tricks,
rather
the
makers
are
working
closely
with
animal
handlers
to
understand
how
elephants
behave
in
their
natural
habitat
and
in
their
interaction
with
humans.
"The
script
is
being
written
around
them"
She
further
says
that
like
the
director
Chuck,
Vidyut
Jammwal
is
the
apt
choice
for
this
one-of-a-kind
thriller
which
will
not
have
the
typical
five
action
pieces
but
will
focus
on
Kalaripayattu,
a
form
of
martial
arts
which
originated
in
Kerala.
She
quipped,
"This
kind
of
action
is
rarely
seen
in
our
films
or
those
made
in
the
West.
Vidyut
is
a
trained
Kalaripayattu
artiste
so
he's
the
perfect
actor
to
tell
our
story"
With
Chuck
being
on
board
for
the
film
there
is
a
question
that
it
can
turn
into
an
English
film
to
which
Priti
said,
"We
have
written
it
primarily
for
a
Hindi-speaking
audience
but
Chuck's
involvement
reinstates
that
the
story
has
the
ability
to
connect
with
an
international
audience
too
and
can
be
turned
into
a
Hindi-English
bilingual"
She
further
pointed
the
fact
that
what
really
inspired
the
story
was
that
in
the
last
18
months
there
has
been
a
concerted
global
movement
towards
protecting
elephants.
She
asserts,
"One
of
the
images
that
has
stayed
with
us
is
of
Kenya,
on
April
30,
2016,
reducing
105
tons
of
elephant
ivory,
along
with
1.35
tons
of
rhino
horn--the
remains
of
6,500
elephants
and
450
rhinos--to
ash.This
was
followed
by
Kenyan
President
Uhuru
Kenyatta
saying
the
fire
was
a
statement
to
the
world
that
ivory
is
worthless
for
them
unless
its
on
their
elephants.
It's
a
story
that
has
grown
from
what
is
happening
in
the
world
around
us."
Junglee
will
hit
the
shooting
floors
in
October
and
is
scheduled
for
a
summer
2018
release.