Bollywood film Jungle Cry to get big screen premiere in Llanelli

Rob LloydNews

Parc y Scarlets will be showcased on the silver screen when Bollywood glitz hits Llanelli this week for the red carpet premiere of Jungle Cry.

The film tells the true story of 12 underprivileged and orphaned children from Kalinga Institute in India’s Odisha region who come together to learn rugby and go on to play in the International Junior Rugby Tournament in the UK.

The film’s final scenes were shot at Parc y Scarlets and there are cameo appearances from Scarlets president Phil Bennett and world-renowned referee Nigel Owens.

Scarlets and Wales stars Jonathan and James Davies and Scarlets staff will be attending the black-tie premiere at Llanelli’s Ffwrnes theatre for an exclusive screening on Tuesday, March 10th. The film will be released to cinemas worldwide in April.

Scarlets alongside global brands Sony, Adidas and Societe Generale are the key partners for the production. 

Carmarthenshire County Council and University of Wales Trinity St David are also brand partners of the project.

Scarlets director and general manager of rugby Jon Daniels said: “It is a great honour for us at Scarlets to have had the opportunity to help bring this inspiring story to the big screen.

“The film’s ethos is very much about community and that struck a chord when we were first approached to become involved.

“We are all looking forward to seeing the film screened here in Llanelli.”

A production crew from India spent around a month at the home of the Scarlets in November 2018.

The film stars Bollywood sensation Abhay Deol and Emily Shah and also includes Scarlets fan Julian Lewis Jones, who is no stranger to rugby cinema roles having been part of the cast of Invictus – the story of the South African World Cup winning side of 1995.

Producer Prashant Shah, who has also produced the likes of My Name is Khan, and The Bruce Lee Project said: “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 in April.”