Film: Junglee
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Asha Bhatt, Pooja Sawant, Akshay Oberoi Atul Kulkarni
Direction: Chuck Russell
Written by: Chuck Russell, Adam Prince and Ritesh Shah
Duration: 1 hr, 56 minutes
Language: Hindi (U/A)
Critic’s Rating: 3/5
Story:
Dr Raj Nair (Vidyut), a Mumbai-based veterinary doctor, returns to the elephant reserve, which his father manages, after 10 years. Even as he bonds with his childhood friend, the elephant Bhola, he’s shocked to see both the wildlife and the ecosystem under imminent threat. An international mafia gang and a hunter, Keshav (Atul), are running a poaching racket. Raj decides to take on the poachers. His forest ranger buddy Dev (Akshay) and the mahout Shankara (Pooja) become part of the rescue mission.
Review:
Movies with animals are a huge draw. More often than not, the audience warms up to the four-legged creatures and once they fall in love with them, you can hear a continuous, “oh, so cute” chorus. This happens in Junglee, too. The film treats you to a herd of elephants in different sizes and ages roaming majestically in the Thai jungles. You just keep attempting to reach out to the pachyderms on the screen and stroke them.
Another fantastic aspect of this movie is Vidyut Jammwal. An expert at martial arts and Kalaripayattu (a martial art form which originated in Kerala), the actor is a dream to watch. In perfectly-choreographed action sequences, he moves with the grace of a ballerina and the agility of Bruce Lee. Vidyut also displays (at regular intervals) a perfect torso that could easily earn him the title of Tiger Shroff’s elder brother.
However, the elephants and the actor are badly let down by a mediocre script. The writing is juvenile and even if you make allowances saying this is kiddie stuff, you still find the film emotionally insufficient. The whole man and animal thing is so cosmetic that it fails to move you. Years ago, when Rajesh Khanna’s pet elephant Ramu in Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) dies, one recalls weeping buckets. Here, Vidyut’s Bhola (the main tusker) and several of his herd are massacred. Yet, no emotions come to the fore.
Hollywood director Chuck Russell is a biggie in the West. He is known as an astute maker. Perhaps, his sensibilities didn’t work in the Bollywood set-up. How else can one explain this film, which has such a fantastic premise, but borders on the ridiculous at times!
The leading ladies are best left alone and the film does that. It gives them screen-time, but makes them look like bimbos.
Atul Kulkarni, who shows up as the antagonist, is superb. However, everything else around here is amateurish.
Verdict: Watch Junglee for Vidyut and Vidyut alone.
