Film on rugby win starring Kolkata boys at Cannes

Kolkata: Even as movie buffs around the world debate whether it will be ‘The death don’t die’ or ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’, that will make it to the Cannes Film Festival 2019, a group of underprivileged children in faraway Kolkata will surely be on the screens with the film, Jungle Cry, at the festival. The film tells the tale of how a rugby team, comprising

tribal boys

from India, lifted the under 14 Rugby Cup in 2007.

Nine boys who play rugby for Jungle Crow in Kolkata star in the Bollywood flick titled Jungle Cry, which has actor Abhay Deol and Indian-American actor Emily Shah in the lead role. Paul Walsh, former British diplomat, who founded Jungle Crow in Kolkata, had hand-picked the boys for the team from Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Bhubaneshwar, to play the coveted U14 Rugby world cup in England in 2007. The boys, who played barefoot even a few months prior to the tournament, beat the world to win the cup.

Jungle Cry is the story of the incredible journey of these 13 boys. In the movie, Abhay Deol played the role of their coach. KISS was founded by Dr Achutya Samanta, where tribal children are provided food, shelter and education. The movie talks about Walsh’s initiative in roping in children for the game. Though Walsh wanted to send the team from Jungle Crow for the 2007 tournament, getting passport for them was a problem since most were street children.

“I am happy the trailer of the Jungle Cry will be showcased at Cannes and at the House of Lords on Monday. The shooting of the film ended 2018 and the release in theatres is likely to be by August/September this year,” said Paul Walsh on the eve of flying off to UK to be at the House of Lords.

Walsh gave up his promising career to teach rugby to the under privilege children in Kolkata. When he started Jungle Crow in the city, there was only a handful of children. Today Jungle Crow has about 1,000 children under its wing. In fact, Walsh was honoured with Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2015 at the Buckingham Palace. In addition to teaching rugby, Jungle Crows Foundation has also helped students study sports in UK on scholarship.

“I am extremely excited and overwhelmed about the film being showcased overseas. Shooting of the movie took us to places, which we could never have dreamt of. Some of the places included, that included some iconic rugby turfs in the UK and Wales. Rugby has instilled a lot of confidence and metal strength in me,” said Rajdeep Saha, 17 who plays a rugby player in the Jungle Cry.

Saha was an inmate of Donbosco Ashalayam, an orphanage in Howrah when he was introduced to rugby by Walsh in 2010. The teenager who now lives at the Jungle Crow Foundation shelter at Taratala, will represent the state at the national rugby tournament at Chandigarh next month.

“This wonderful game of rugby is yet to gain popularity in India. With Bollywood movies having a wide audience I am sure this film will help popularise the game in addition to the inspiring message the movie carries,” added Saha.