‘Jungle Cry’ – film about India junior rugby team is inspirational, underdog story… (video)

Based on true story in 2007… cast and producer talked to us about this film which releases soon…

Mild spoiler alert in video!

COMING out next week (May 20) around the world, in key markets, is the film, ‘Jungle Cry’.
It stars Bollywood icon Abhay Deol and relative newcomer Emily Shah.
Shot before the pandemic, it’s a film about Indian rugby success. Yes, you read that correctly. Indian rugby success.
Based on a true story, it tells the story of a group of tribal boys from north east India who – trained by both their Indian coach (Deol) and their British talent scout Paul Walsh (Stewart Wright) – participate in a junior rugby world championship in the UK.
The story starts in NE India, where Deol is trying to pull a football team together, but is then asked by Wright’s character whether the boys can learn rugby…
The pair coach and cajole the boys and arrive in Britain with a lot of hope and not a lot else…
The 12 boys from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) excel but can they really beat boys who have been playing the game all their lives?
Shah plays the sympathetic and encouraging physio who acts as a ‘mum’ to the young boys. There’s also a hint of romance with Deol…maybe more…you will have to watch the film.
Deol is very believable and puts in a good turn and the film actually does a good job of telling a very underdog story.
Made by LA-based producer Prashant Shah and his Bollywood Hollywood company (which was behind Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘My Name is Khan’), this film is well worth watching if you like sporting tales of heroism, courage and defying the odds.
Prashant Shah commented: “Jungle Cry is truly an inspiring film that promotes education, sports and helps eradicate poverty and create patriotism for every nation and we are very excited to release it to a global audience of cinemagoers.”
Lionsgate Play is releasing ‘Jungle Cry’ in India and the subcontinent in June, marking the launch of the OTT platform in the region. Sony Music has partnered for soundtrack distribution world-wide.
These interviews took place in Cannes in 2019 just ahead of what was expected to be a Spring 2020 global release but that didn’t occur.
In Cannes for our interviews were Shah, director Sagar Ballary (‘Bheja Fry’ 2017) and producer Shah – unfortunately Deol did not travel to Cannes in 2019 and was unavailable for interview this week.

The film premiered in Wales in March 2020 at the Ffwrnes Theatre Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, hosted by The Government of Wales with the support of First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford. The film received a standing ovation in the presence of Sara Edwards, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed.

Production credits
A Big Talent Media Production for http://www.asianculturevulture.com
Producer: Sailesh Ram
Presenters: Momtaz Begum-Hossain, Sailesh Ram
Camera/editing: Harry Clegg