hindiStarring: Abhay Deol, Emily Shah, Julian Lewis Jones, Sherry Baines
Produced by: Prashant Shah
Directed by: Sagar Ballary
Star Rating: 3/5
Jungle Cry a film produced by Hollywood Bollywood Production, which was released on 20 May in the UK, may have you on the edge of your seat, intensely watching the scoreboard in the final leg of the film, but is this timely tale worth the watch?
The sports biopic film is a heartfelt incredible story based on the real-life event of 12 orphaned boys from India who went on to become the roaring “Jungle Cats”, winning the under-14 Rugby World Cup Championship in Wales in 2007.
From starting with the young group of boys chasing one another and passing a makeshift ball from a plastic bottle filled with marbles, whilst Stewart Wright watches fascinated, in a rickshaw from a distance to the end of the final match.
The homogeneous performance by the group of 12 underprivileged boys, who were the stars of the show, was delivered with conviction, emotion and occasionally a comedic conveyance.
From his frantic shouting when the boys are underperforming to making them instant Maggi noodles to comfort them, the role of Rudra, as a father figure role for the orphaned boys of Odisha, played by lead actor Abhay Deol, evokes emotions, as his character reflects that of Peter Pan with the Lost Boys in J. M. Barrie’s 1904 play.
The film does well at building suspense, although it was no Dolby Atmos experience, with their Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the feature of tribal music in some scenes, was visually artistic, used as escapism with the bright colours and the swirls of the dancing depicted in one scene.
The underlying message and valuable lessons that this film teaches kids are perseverance, discipline, believing that anything is possible and the value of teamwork in sports.
The overarching vision of the film’s goal is achieved early in the film, as we see the amount of effort that goes into prepping the boys before the big game and the build-up of tension that this creates.
Making her debut in Bollywood with this film, American actress Emily Shah who plays physiotherapist Roshni Thakkar, had her character written into the script, which was well executed, however, she perhaps needed to work on her Hindi accent, as her New Jersey American accent peaked through during her Hindi-speaking scenes, making her sound less authentic in comparison to her native counterpart Abhay Deol.
The film also features cameos by some of the top names in the sport, including world-famous rugby referee Nigel Owens, Wales and British Lions fly-half Phil Bennett and Colin Charvis, former captain of the Wales National Rugby Union Team.
Some parts of the film should not have made the director’s cut, as they were either unnecessary fillers or repetitive scenes with the same purpose, to give context.
As an example, the B-roll, documentary-style pieces to-camera will not be favoured by all, as the intent to fast-forward the story and give further context to some scenes, with the supplementary footage although was creative, may be seen as a waste of time and an unnecessary part of the film.
The very deep, yet on the surface therapy sessions between coach Rudra and physiotherapist Roshni can also be critiqued as unnecessary and forced into the script, as they appeared superficial, in that the characters were made to bond over their childhood traumas and issues to make them seem more relatable.
Despite the predictable formulaic approach to the film, the story direction of Jungle Cry was strongly led, and with it being an action-filled, family-friendly film, it was overall a good watch, which celebrates small, big wins.