Vidyut Jammwal who is shooting for ‘Junglee’ spent most of his time forging a deep bond of trust with the elephants. Over the course of shooting Chuck Russell’s Junglee, Vidyut Jammwal learnt from the mahouts that elephants responded to humans emotionally. Vidyut trained with the elephant whisperer and the mahout to communicate and interact with elephants, as a result Vidyut spent all his free time with the Tusker- Jai and the female elephant Oon to understand their personalities better.
Most of the sequences with the elephants were planned meticulously, however the day was always dictated by the majestic beast and his/her mood. The director and Vidyut soon accepted that the each scene with the beasts was likely have its own rhythm and emotional quotient. The elephants added more magic than imagined. However, despite the training, elephants are considered to be one of the most dangerous animals to work closely with because of their size and strength. This was the principle reason that Vidyut had spent time with the mahouts and the beasts- to avoid any risks during shoot.
“On one particular day – we were losing light very rapidly and the female elephant with the baby was in no mood to co-operate. The mahouts suggested that we work with them on some other day- however I requested them to let me try one last time. I put into practice all that I had learnt from the whisperer and the mahouts and looked into the eyes of the elephant. I found an intelligent and sensitive being and a free soul responding to me, conversing as only they do. It took half an hour, but we got more than we hoped for. It was a magical scene. While you may not always get what you want, what you get is unimaginable. Shooting with the giant creatures has been a surreal experience for the entire team,” says Vidyut. ‘Junglee’ is a family action adventure film which revolves around the unique friendship between a man and elephant. Vidyut plays an animal loving vet who is set out to uncover a deadly poaching racket that took away his father and wiped out his beloved elephant’s family.
Directed by Hollywood filmmaker Chuck Russell and produced by Junglee Pictures, the film is set to release on October 19, 2018.
