Junglee Pictures have geared up for a big scale Bollywood film, a modern re-telling of the ancient legend with Punjabi filmmaker Anurag Singh.
Anurag Singh has Punjabi cinema’s highest grosser to his credit, Punjab 1984 and Jatt and Juliet 1 and 2, all featuring Diljit Dosanjh.
The film-maker has taken his dream further and has locked the script of his big-budget Bollywood debut along with Jungle Pictures. The still to release film has tentatively been titled ‘Hanu-maan’.
Anurag explains, “It’s a superhero film that marries mythology with modern technology. Without delving into ancient concepts, we’re re-inventing the morals he stands for“.
Anurag had met Priti Shahani, President of Junglee Pictures two years ago and sketched out the idea to her in one line. Anurag said, “She called the concept a “clutter-breaker“ and though we discussed other ideas, she kept coming back to this one. Now, it’s like we are both realising our dream“.
A few names have been discussed but the lead pair of the film is yet to be cast. The script revolves around Hanuman, son of the wind God Pawan who is a loyal devotee of Ram, known as a brahmachari who had taken a vow of celibacy, and scripting a love interest for him could agitate devotees.
Anurag says, “Hanuman bhakts will be the biggest fans of his film. I’m not questioning the legend of Hanuman, rather like any devotee, I’m appreciative of him. The tone will be reverential, just as it is in animation shows for children like Chhota Bheem, Bal Ganesh and Bal Hanuman, but the film’s scale is huge, he clarifies.The protagonist Hanu-maan, is a fun guy with mischievous powers, drawn from Hanuman’s energy, wisdom and devotion.
Anurag say, “More recently, Baahubali, even though not a superhero film in the true sense of the term, was an extraordinary success because the director merged Indian grammar with contemporary technique. For any superhero film, a classic tale needs a modern retelling. That said, you can’t copy Hollywood in terms of scale because we don’t have that kind of money. So you have to match them with your storytelling“.
