PETA had advised the makers of the upcoming film Gorilla, starring Jiiva in the lead role, to use VFX instead of a real chimpanzee to shoot the film. Apparently, the film is centered on a chimpanzee and the filmmakers made arrangements to use the services of an animal trained at the Samut Training Station of Thailand, well known for training chimps.
However, with PETA raising an objection to it, the filmmakers have made it clear that the entire film has been shot already.
In a letter to the producers, PETA India’s associate director of celebrity and public relations, Sachin Bangera had said, “Compassionate, forward-thinking filmmakers would never dream of hauling sensitive wild animals to a chaotic movie set and forcing them to ‘act’ for viewers’ amusement. Blockbusters such as the Planet of the Apes franchise and The Jungle Book have relied on technical wizardry and advanced CGI to create realistic animal characters without harming or harassing their live counterparts.”
However, the film’s producers in a letter have stated that the entire shooting has been completed. The contents of the letter are as follows, “PETA had requested us not to use live chimpanzee hereafter for shooting. As it is, we have finished shooting of the entire film. We also informed them that the entire shoot and the portions involving the animal have been shot within the legalities, rules and regulations of our government and Thailand government.”
Directed by Don Sandy, the film is bankrolled by Vijayaraghavendra under his banner All In Pictures, who bankrolled movies such as Masala Padam and Rum. The music for this comedy entertainer will be composed by Sam CS of Vikram Vedha fame. Jiiva, who plays the lead role in Gorilla, also a couple of films lined up for release this year including Kee and Gypsy which are in different stages of production.
(Content provided by Digital India)