After decades, Junglee brings back magic of jumbos on big screen

Hindi cinema has not seen real elephants since the ’60s and ’70s. As Junglee fills that jumbo-sized gap, those that remember the thrill of watching elephants in theatres relive the era.

"When the elephant cried, I cried too”, “I wanted an elephant friend whom I could call by name”, “petting an elephant was my only dream” – these were just some responses we got from the generation that still remembers the magic of watching elephants ‘act’ on the big screen, when a handful of elephant movies were made in the ’60s and ’70s. Since then, it’s only been CGI elephants or animated characters, leaving later generations with only the imagination of what it would have been like watching real elephants in action in theatres. In fact, 'Haathi Mere Saathi' (1971) was such a huge hit that moviegoers stood in never-ending queues to get tickets. Those associated with these films of yore say that they gave the elephant characters their most human characteristics, and that the ’60s and ’70s were a defining period for elephants in Hindi cinema.

More than four-and-a-half decades later, that magic is set to be revived with 'Junglee', which stars Vidyut Jammwal and Bhola, the mighty elephant. With Bhola and his jumbo friends ready to take over the screens on March 29, kids finally have a chance to watch the story of a real elephant.

Dharmendra had the ‘best experience’ shooting for 'Shola Aur Shabnam' (1961). Seen here with Tarla Mehta

We used to wait for hours to get one shot with elephants: Dharmendra

Dharmendra, who shot with elephants in films like 'Maa' (1976) and 'Shola Aur Shabnam' (1961), says that the shooting was challenging but “one of the best experiences” an actor can have. He tells us, “In my career, I’ve got quite a few opportunities to shoot with animals, including elephants and tigers. One of the prominent ones was Maa, which was all about a mother elephant’s love for her little one and how she fights a man (played by Dharmendra) trying to trap the baby elephant. It was a beautiful film that conveyed an important message through a touching story. The film was loved not just in India, but was a huge hit in Russia as well. I really enjoyed shooting it. We were shooting in Mudumalai in Karnataka and it was interesting, but very challenging too. Those elephants and other animals we were shooting with were trained, but you need a lot of patience while shooting with them. We used to wait for hours just to get one perfect shot. It was a lot of hard work for everyone but I enjoyed every bit of it. I also got a chance to shoot with elephants in my second film, 'Shola Aur Shabnam'. We shot that in Karnataka as well.”

We shot in a forest with trained and wild elephants: 'Kala Parvat' director

MS Sathyu, best known for directing 'Garm Hawa' (1974), also directed 'Kala Parvat' (1972), an India and Soviet Union co-production. The film was jointly directed by MS Sathyu and Alexander Zagurdi. Sathyu says, “We shot the film in a forest with 80-90 real elephants, with a Russian group. Shooting this film was very difficult because we had different types of elephants – trained ones, wild elephants, baby elephants. But we had the expertise of a Russian crew, who advised us on how to deal with animals, and forest officials helped too. It was indeed a mammoth task, but children loved the film, and even now it is screened for kids.”

He adds, “Of course, a film shot with real elephants will work even in today’s time; children will especially love it. We don’t make films with real elephants anymore. Now, everything is animated.”

Rajesh Khanna-starrer 'Haathi Mere Saathi' (1971) was a massive hit

‘Haathi Mere Saathi was a massive success because it was Rajesh Khanna’s first film to connect with kids’

Gautam Chintamani, who has written Rajesh Khanna’s biography, had come across a number of anecdotes about 'Haathi Mere Saathi' during his research. He tells us, “When I was talking to Salim Khan, (who wrote the screenplay with Javed Akhtar), he told me that one of the major reasons behind the massive success of 'Haathi Mere Saathi' was that it was Rajesh Khanna’s first film that connected with children. A number of scenes with elephants were included just to entertain kids. Other than its success at the box office, the film had a message for animal rights too.”

Chintamani adds, “For me, another film which is memorable is Safed Haathi. As a kid, I related to this film so well because it was full of adventure. I also found Maa very exciting as a kid because of the animals. Those films had such a huge impact that you’d want to have an animal friend whom you could name and pet.”

'Haathi Mere Saathi' is said to be the first Rajesh Khanna film to connect with kids

Children love elephant movies, but directors don’t make them: Children’s Film Society of India

The Children’s Film Society of India’s (CFSI) catalogue lists only a few films on elephants, like 'Kala Parvat', 'Haathi Ka Anda' (which doesn’t have any elephant). Nagraj Kulkarni, a CFSI official, says, “We have films like 'Kala Parvat', and a few other regional films on elephants, but most of those are old. Nowadays, there are very few films on elephants. One reason could be that shooting permission is difficult to get.”

Dharmendra agrees, “In the ‘70s, it was easier to shoot with elephants and other animals, but now, the law is very strict and therefore we don’t see many films on elephants. I’m glad to hear that after so many years, there is this film called 'Junglee' that’s coming soon. I hope this film wins hearts and that it’s a big hit, and more and more people go to watch it. There are very few films now where we see elephants as part of the main story.”

Vidyut Jammwal and Bhola show the unbreakable bond between man and elephant in the upcoming 'Junglee'

‘Want to see how the elephants in 'Junglee' act and react’

As 'Junglee' has been shot with real elephants, those who have seen elephant movies in theatres are quite excited about the movie. Jaisingh Rajput, Assistant Officer in Production at CFSI, says, “As a kid, I’ve seen all the movies with elephants – be it 'Haathi Mere Saathi' or 'Kala Parvat' – and I’m a huge fan of them. There are so few films with real elephants in them, and where the elephant is not just an animal, but a character. I’m looking forward to watch the film to understand how they have dealt with the animal, is he also acting in the film, how he responds in the scenes.”

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