Karan Johar

Junglee

Pooja Sawant

Vidyut Jammwal

Mohnish Bahl

The Scorpion King

Catch Vidyut Jammwal in this action-packed visual spectacle directed by Chuck Russell, releasing on April 5, 2019 02:28

The family-adventure Junglee, which was slated to release on April 5, will now hit the marquee a week earlier, on March 29. The decision was taken to avoid a crowded calendar. With the John Abraham-starrer spy thriller RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter also opening on April 5,’s star-studded period-drama Kalank a week later (April 17) and the Lok Sabha elections set to commence on April 11, the bannerPictures wanted to release it on a clear weekend.According to Priti Shahani, the film’s co-producer, the timing couldn’t have been better as with the advent of school holidays, the film would make for a perfect outing for the family audience. “It’s like an Aesop’s fable… It entertains but also underlines the need to protect and fight for animals to co-exist with us. It’s been a while since we had a Haathi Mere Saathi-type treat and we’re optimistic that the young audience will love it,” she said.Junglee, which marks the Hindi directorial debut of Hollywood filmmaker Chuck Russell and features two debutantes —and Asha Bhat—opposite, will now release with the Salman Khan production Notebook, launch vehicle of’s daughter, Pranutan, and Zaheer Iqbal.In December 2017, Vidyut, who plays a veterinary-turned-activist/avenger in the film, took off to Thailand to kick off the film at the Chiang Mai Elephant Reserve and Jungle Sanctuary. The film is set in Orissa and revolves around the unique friendship between a man and an elephant and a poaching racket. Besides Asha and Pooja, Vidyut also has a therapy elephant named Un as a co-star. “Un works with autistic and mentally-challenged children in Thailand. One interaction with her will change the image of these large-sized animals,” Priti had told Mirror earlier (December 2017).Chuck was the team’s go-to guy to direct the film because animals are a part of his narratives, be it the dog in The Mask or the camels in. The film’s story, which is written by Ritesh Shah (of Pink, Kahaani and Raid fame) is set in the jungles of Kerala and sees Vidyut’s Raj return from Mumbai for his mother’s 10th death anniversary and reunite with his elephant friend.