Junglee
“Junglee Pictures ‘Junglee’ Is an Entertaining Movie For Children & Senior Citizens”
Banner: Junglee PicturesProducer: Priti Shahani & Vineet JainDirector: Chuck RussellStar Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Pooja Sawant, Asha But, Atul Kukarni, Akshay Oberoi, Makrand Deshpande, Thalai Vasai, Don & Bhondyaaa, Vijaya Kumar Arcot Ramachandran, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Rohan JoshiMusic: Tanuj Tikku & Sameer Uddin
The gentle giant, elephant, at one point was a significant part of some very important films. The most memorable film in this regard was Haathi Mere Saathi in the year 1971. Then there were films like Maa in the year 1976, Safed Haathi in the year 1977 etc. that also dealt with elephants & made for a great & entertaining watch. Almost 4 decades later, the jumbo makes a mighty comeback in Bollywood with Junglee. The film has been noticed for its trailer & plot. Moreover, it’s a rare Bollywood film directed by a Hollywood director, Chuck Russell.
The scripted scenario of Junglee Pictures Junglee reveals the story of a veterinarian trying to fight an international poacher’s racket. Raj Nair (Vidyut Jammwal) is based in Mumbai & is a renowned veterinarian. He has an estranged relationship with his father, Dipankar (Vijaya Kumar Arcot Ramachandran), who runs Chandrika Elephant Sanctuary. Their relationship soured a decade ago after Raj Naiur’s mother passed away. On her 10th death anniversary, Dipankar requests Raj Nair to come back. This time, Raj Nair agrees & he’s accompanied by journalist Meera Rai (Asha Bhat), who wants to interview Dipankar for his contribution in safeguarding elephants. Raj Nair is welcomed with open arms by his childhood friend Shankara (Pooja Sawant), who’s also a female mahout. Meanwhile, Kotian (Atul Kulkarni) is a poacher working for a client in Taipei. They realize that an elephant in the sanctuary, Bhola, has unusually large tusks. If they manage to retrieve it, they can get amazing returns for it. Kotian accepts the assignment & after a thorough recce, he attacks Bhola at night. Dipankar however reaches the spot & Kotian kills him. The goons working with Kotian also kill Bhola & escape with his tusks. Raj Nair too goes to the rescue of Bhola but is defeated. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.The main flaw of Junglee Pictures Junglee is that Rohan Sippy, Charudutt Acharya, Umesh Padalkar & Ritesh Shah’s story is very poor & totally outdated. The only plus point is that it educates audiences about the horrors of poaching & wildlife conservation. But audiences also need entertainment along with enlightenment & that’s where this film falters. Adam Prince & Raaghav Dar’s screenplay is ineffective for most parts. There’s a lot the screenwriters could have done here but they don’t & it’s a loss of a golden opportunity. Akshat Ghildial & Suman Adhikary’s dialogues are nothing special & some of them are even awkward.Chuck Russell’s direction is shockingly bad. One expected this director from Hollywood would work his charm & entertain audiences. Instead, he makes it a total mess. He takes too much time to establish & build up. It’s still fine for the scenes of Raj Nair bonding with the elephants as it has novelty value. However, the sequences of Raj Nair & his father are very unconvincing & looks totally staged. Also, he goes overboard while depicting the Indian culture & customs. In this regard, there are some ridiculous developments in the 2nd half which would leave the audiences shocked. It’s unbelievable how it got approved in the first place.
In fact Junglee Pictures Junglee is just 115 minutes long & that’s a big advantage. The beginning portions, depicting the sanctuary & the presence of poachers is neat & sans any complaints. Raj Nair’s entry sequence & the fight scenes at the skywalk are also decent. One expects fireworks once he reaches the sanctuary. His scenes with Bhola & a female elephant, Didi, are also quite good. But the film drags a lot out here with nothing much happening. In fact, this goes on for a long time till the pre-intermission point. The interval point is a shocker & gears up audiences as they anticipate a roller-coaster ride from here on. But sadly enough, apart from Raj Nair’s escape from the prison, no scene really makes a mark. The film also gets silly & absolutely ridiculous here. The sequence where Raj imagines talking to Lord Ganesha is when the film touches a low. The grand finale is also nothing special.
Sameer Uddin’s music doesn’t work. “Dosti” is sweet & is well shot. “Fakeera Ghar Aaja”could have been touching but it comes at a time when the film is really dragging. “Garje Gajraj Hamare”is played in the end credits. Sameer Uddin & Tanuj Tikku’s background score is better & has that big-screen appeal. Mark Irwin & Sachin Gadankush’s cinematography is average in most scenes. Also, too many long & bird’s eye view shots are used & it kills the impact. Chung Chi Li, Parvez Shaikh & Seayoung Oh’s action is entertaining. Special mention should also go to Vidyut Jammwal’s additional action choreography & it adds to the film. Mukund Gupta’s production design is a bit unreal but works nevertheless. Urvashi Shah, Anirudh Singh & Dipika Lal’s costumes are glamorous. NY VFXWala’s VFX leaves a lot to be desired. And it’s very bad in the Lord Ganesha scene. Jayesh Shikarkhane & Vasudevan Kothandath’s editing should have been sharper in the 1st ever half.
Performances wise, Vidyut Jammwal’s act is nothing great but he has a fine screen presence & that helps in the long run. Also, his action scenes are always 1st rate. Pooja Sawant looks stunning & arguably is the “Best Performer” of the film. Asha Bhat keeps her performance controlled thankfully. Makrand Deshpande as Gajja, on the other hand, hams like anything. Atul Kulkarni is passable. Vijaya Kumar Arcot Ramachandran gives a decent performance. Akshay Oberoi as Dev is sincere, in a special appearance. Vishwanath Chatterjee as Inspector Khan is quite theatrical. Rohan Joshi as Jayesh tries to be funny but seriously fails. The same goes for Lars Kjeldsen as Vane; villain in Taipei. Agnelo Chang (Mr Sinaki; buyer of the tusks) and Ania Zeyne (Crimson lady) push the envelope when it comes to giving the worst performances of the year.
Tail Piece: On the whole, Junglee Pictures Junglee is a clichéd revenge drama & reminiscent of the 80’s & 90’s action fare. The use of elephants might attract a section of the audiences but in the long run, it’s bound to suffer at the ticket windows.
