Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Pooja Sawant, Asha Bhat, Akshay Oberoi, Atul Kulkarni, and others.
Rating: 3/5
Poaching is, unfortunately, one of the booming segments, and with increasing demand for priced animal possessions in the manufacturing industry, the lives of many animals living far in the jungles have become a threat. Despite the officials trying to strengthen the security, poachers and their sources from the locality, invade the animal territory for many illegal reasons. Throwing light on the same by focusing on the human-elephant relationship, and the risk of their existence in the jungles is Vidyut Jammwal’s Junglee.
Raj Nair (Vidyut Jammwal) Veterinaryenary doctor, who pursues his career in Mumbai. He was raised in an elephant sanctuary run by his parents and hence has immense love for them, especially with an elephant named Bhola who he has grown with. After a gap of 10 years, Raj visits his home to participate in his mother’s death anniversary puja, where he meets his dad, his friends Shankara, Dev, and his guru who trained him Kalari. On the other hand, a wildlife journalist wants to cover their efforts and write an article focusing on Raj and his dad. A visit for a good purpose turns bitter when a team of hunters led by Atul Kulkarni, target Bhola for his tusks, and this makes him realise the threat his animals and friends live with, when poachers invade the territory. The decisions and actions Raj and other members of the Sanctuary take to prevent such horrendous acts, is what Junglee revolves around.
First things first, the location of the film, is breathtaking and the way makers have shown the jungle would make you book a safari. Junglee is a simple story which should have been shown with simplicity. Story by Rohan Sippy, Ritesh Shah, Charudutt Acharya, Umesh Padalkar and screenplay by Raghav Dhaar and Adam Prince, has many emotional and action sequences, but sadly they aren’t placed well in the film, eventually making it random, at many occasions. Further, I always believe that if a film has a message based on facts, the makers need to focus on sharing the research and numbers, before the end credits. This value-add in the film is missing, and it is slightly disappointing.
Dialogues by Akshat Ghildhial and Suman Adhikary are mediocre and the not-so-perfect script may let you lose attention from the screen, but the action sequences performed by Vidyut Jammwal and choreographed by Wut Kulawat, and Parvez Shaikh, do the needful. Having said this, the film has an important message, and that comes across very well. The chemistry between the actors, and with that of the animals, is shown quite well, and honestly, it feels good to see animals on screen after a long time.
Junglee is the first film for Miss Supranational Asha Bhat and Bollywood debut for popular Marathi actress Pooja Sawant. Both the actresses seamlessly play their characters, and they do justice to their roles. Pooja Sawant as Shankara comes across as strong yet emotional, while Asha Bhat as Meera stays true to her role of a journalist. But the man of the film, Vidyut Jammwal steals the show. His affection towards his art – both acting and Kalaripayattu – shines on screens. He always surprises with his abilities to perform martial arts swiftly, and in this film, he makes a mark once again. A film with such a message, visuals and action is quite a treat to watch. Supporting roles by Akshay Oberoi, Makrand Deshpande and others add value in parts.
To sum it up, Junglee is a film which adults would relate to, and the kids would learn from. Besides the flaws in the writing, the film is most certainly an honest attempt towards making us realise the importance of the subjects. It is definitely a one-time watch.
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