Ele, My Friend
1992 Indian film
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Ele, My Friend is a 1992 English-language children's film directed by Dharan Mandrayar and produced by Linda Mandrayar. The film stars Jacob Paul Guzman and an elephant named Ganesh.[1] The film, an Indo-British co-production, revolves around a bond between a 10-year old named Charles and an elephant, which he names Ele.[2][3] The film is set in 1924.[4]
Ganesh
| Ele, My Friend | |
|---|---|
Poster | |
| Directed by | Dharan Mandrayar |
| Written by | Dharan Mandrayar |
| Produced by | Dharan Mandrayar |
| Starring | Jacob Paul Guzman Ganesh |
| Cinematography | Arnie Sirlin |
| Edited by | B. Lenin V. T. Vijayan |
| Music by | Barry Phillips |
Production company | Dharlin Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries | India United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Cast
- Jacob Paul Guzman as Charles
- Ganesh as Ele
- Gazan Khan as Jaggu
- R. S. Shivaji as Ahmed
- Terry Nichelson as Charles Sr.
- Queen as Ele's mother
- Katherine Byers as Mary
- Santhana Bharathi as Kallar Village Chief
- Amjad Khan as Omar (special appearance)
- Prabhu (special appearance)
Production
Dharan Mandrayar, a nephew of actor Sivaji Ganesan, studied in India and later in the United States. He forayed into films after being encouraged by his wife, Linda.[5] The film was shot in South India and was produced by Dharan and Linda Mandrayar's Dharlin Entertainment.[6][7] Filming began on 3 February 1992,[7] and trained elephants had to be brought into the wildlife refuge in trailers.[4] Mandrayar had Ele hover his foot above him to convince the film crew that the elephant could be trusted.[4] While filming, a bull (male) elephant charged the sets and the crew and trained elephants ran to safety.[4] The scene where Ele falls into a pit was shot in one take.[4]
Release
Reception
Accolades
The film won the Best Picture for Environment and Quality of Life Award in Bellinzona, Switzerland.[5]