The
Mask
director
Chuck
Russell
always
wanted
to
be
a
part
of
Hindi
films
as
he
loves
the
way
Bollywood
movies
incorporate
song-and-dance
routines.
Russell,
who
has
finally
directed
a
Hindi
film
with
Junglee,
said
both
the
industries
are
good
at
telling
larger-than-life
stories.
"I
was
jealous
of
Indian
directors
when
I
first
discovered
Indian
films.
As
a
teenager,
I
found
you
guys
do
song
and
dance
in
every
or
any
genre.
In
the
West,
the
musicals
were
very
limited.
There
are
many
differences
but
we
(both)
can
tell
larger-than-life
stories
and
our
stars
can
carry
it," Russell
told
PTI
in
an
interview.
The
60-year-old
director
is
not
completely
alien
to
the
new
Bollywood,
having
watched
3
Idiots,
Sultan,
Baahubali,
Raazi
and
Bareilly
Ki
Barfi.
"When
I
see
the
world,
I
want
to
try
to
incorporate
stories
from
different
cultures.
Also,
I
had
realised
that
if
everyone
can
enjoy
a
film
like
'The
Mask',
we
are
similar
in
a
way
when
it
comes
to
consuming
entertainment,"
he
said.
"My
mother
loved
India
very
much,
she
passed
away
just
as
we
started
work
on
the
'Junglee'.
She
was
a
travel
agent.
I
am
carrying
on
the
tradition
of
my
family,"
Russell
added.
Another
reason
for
the
director
to
board
the
project,
led
by
Vidyut
Jammwal,
was
the
Indian
setting,
which
best
suited
the
family
entertainer.
"(I
felt)
It
should
not
be
told
with
western
actors.
This
is
about
the
relationship
between
a
man
and
an
elephant
and
it
is
in
the
Indian
DNA
for
centuries.
I
was
comfortable
with
it
being
an
Indian
story.
At
first,
I
did
not
know
why
they
approached
me
for
this
film
but
I
realised
it
was
because
I
am
always
dealing
with
the
human
and
animal
relationship
angle
in
my
films."
Whether
it
was
The
Mask
with
Jim
Carrey
or
The
Scorpion
King,
starring
Dwayne
Johnson
in
his
acting
debut,
Russell
said
he
always
develops
stories
around
his
actors.
"I
develop
scripts
for
the
actors
rather
than
starting
with
the
screenplay
and
then
look
for
somebody.
I
wanted
to
meet
Vidyut,
his
memes
and
GIFs
are
very
popular
but
I
did
not
know
about
his
films.
I
created
this
character
for
him.
He
has
a
fun,
vulnerable
side
to
him
that
was
good
to
explore.
These
men
and
women
are
brave
who
do
action-acting."
The
film
releases
Friday.