The Hindi version of the Rana Daggubati-starrer Haathi Mere Saathi has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the makers announced Tuesday. However, the movie's Telugu and Tamil versions, titled Aranya and Kaadan, respectively, will open in theatres on Friday.
Directed by Prabhu Solomon, the film was set to be released in the theatres countrywide on March 26 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. In a statement by Eros International, the studio said the film's Hindi version will not be releasing for some time due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
"Dear viewers, it pains us to share this news but given the Covid-19 situation in the Hindi markets, the team of 'Haathi Mere Saathi' has decided to hold on to the release of the film. We shall keep you posted on further developments. However, we will be releasing 'Aranya' and 'Kaadan' in the South markets on the 26th of March," the studio said.
Also featuring Pulkit Samrat, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Zoya Hussain, the trilingual film chronicles the journey of man who fights for the jungle and the animals. The film has been shot in the dense forests of Kerala and Thailand. The team had to travel six hours from Kochi airport to reach the town that was close to a forest where the shoot had been planned. Once they reached there, they had to undertake an uphill off-road journey, till they reached the location.
"We shot in some of the toughest locations -- two to three dense forests in Kerala. The forest near Shanthanpara where we first shot had been destroyed by floods. So, we had to relocate our shoot location to another forest. Getting to those locations was a challenge," says Rana. However, the actor adds that it was a "thrilling experience" to shoot in these locations.
The movie was earlier scheduled to be released in last April but was delayed in the wake of the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown.
Earlier, actor Rana Daggubati had said that Haathi Mere Saathi has the potential to change the game for Bollywood, and pull crowds to the theatres in massive numbers. "Haathi Mere Saathi' is a story with a soul. It's a movie rooted deep in emotions and an enormity that can be realized only on the big screens. Just like the Southern industry, I strongly feel that our movie has the potential to bring the Hindi audience to the theaters too," the actor said.
-with Agency inputs
