delhi safari english version

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Delhi Safari

A group of animals plan a trip to Delhi in order to ask the parliament why the forest they live in is on the verge of destruction. A group of animals plan a trip to Delhi in order to ask the parliament why the forest they live in is on the verge of destruction. A group of animals plan a trip to Delhi in order to ask the parliament why the forest they live in is on the verge of destruction.

• Nikkhil Advani
• Rahul Awate
• Girish Dhamija
• Akshaye Khanna
• Urmila Matondkar
• 24 User reviews
• 27 Critic reviews
• 37 Metascore

• Jari Booti Baba

• (as Sunil Shetty)

• Prime Minister

• (English version)

• Male Flamingo

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia It is India's first stereoscopic 3-D animated feature film.
• Goofs When the song "Aao Re Pardesi" starts, it is sunset. But a few seconds after we hear the female flamingo start singing, it is suddenly nighttime.
• Connections Features Paap Ki Duniya (1988)
• Soundtracks Bella Performed by Maître Gims

User reviews 24

• thatcuriousbitch18
• Apr 17, 2019
• How long is Delhi Safari? Powered by Alexa
• December 7, 2012 (United States)
• Official site
• Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Của Chú Báo Đốm
• Krayon Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $15,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 36 minutes

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Delhi Safari (2012) Stream and Watch Online

Looking to feast your eyes on ' Delhi Safari ' on your TV, phone, or tablet? Discovering a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the Nikkhil Advani-directed movie via subscription can be a challenge, so we here at Moviefone want to do the work for you. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription options - along with the availability of 'Delhi Safari' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the various whats and wheres of how you can watch 'Delhi Safari' right now, here are some finer points about the animation flick. Released December 7th, 2012, 'Delhi Safari' stars Suniel Shetty , Govinda , Akshaye Khanna , Urmila Matondkar The PG movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 30 min, and received a user score of 52 (out of 100) on TMDb, which compiled reviews from 19 respected users. Curious to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "The movie centers on a group of animals in a national park in Bombay trying to figure out a way to stop humans from building an apartment complex on their land." .

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DELHI SAFARI

A group of animals plan a trip to Delhi in order to ask the parliament why the forest they live in is on the verge of destruction.

Delhi Safari

Very small children may be amused, or at least distracted, by the English-language version of "Delhi Safari," India's first locally produced, stereo 3D-animated feature.

By Joe Leydon

Film Critic

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Very small children may be amused, or at least distracted, by the English-language version of “Delhi Safari ,” India’s first locally produced, stereo 3D-animated feature. But it’s unlikely many parents will feel compelled to pay firstrun admission prices for such a blandly unremarkable product during this retrofitted import’s theatrical run. The pic appears destined to fast-forward to homescreen platforms in English-speaking territories.

The derivative plot pivots on efforts by a band of plucky animals — including a cute leopard cub (voiced by Tara Strong), his protective mother ( Vanessa Williams ), a belligerent monkey ( Carlos Alazraqui ), a forgetful pigeon ( Christopher Lloyd ) and a gentle-natured bear ( Brad Garrett ) — to save their Sanjay Gandhi National Park home from the ravages of supposedly eco-friendly developers. There’s an abundance of Bollywood-style production numbers — most notably, a flamingo extravaganza with a touch of Busby Berkeley — and a few odd (in this context) wisecracks that suggest awkward interpretations of the original Hindi dialogue (“They’re playing him like a cheap sitar”). For the most part, however, the pic all too obviously recycles bits and pieces from “Madagascar,” “The Lion King” and other made-in-America toons. Unfortunately, much gets lost in the translation.

• Production: An Applied Art Prods. (in U.S.) release of a Krayon Pictures production. Produced by Anupama Patil, Kishor Patil. Executive producers, Aditya Nath Jha, Namrata Sharma, Nishith Takia. Directed by Nikhil Advani. Screenplay, Advani, Griish Dhamija, Suresh Nair. (Color, 3D); editor, Aarif Sheikh; music, Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa, Ehsaan Noorani; lyrics (English version), John Majkut; sound, Manoj Sikka; animation director, Rafique Shaikh. Reviewed online, Houston, Dec. 5, 2012. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 96 MIN.
• With: Voices: Tara Strong, Cary Elwes, Vanessa Williams, Carlos Alazraqui, Brad Garrett, Christopher Lloyd, Tom Kenney. (English dialogue)

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Delhi Safari

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Nikhil Advani

Park Sung-kwang

Jeong Tae-ho

Yang Seon-il

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Delhi safari: film review.

Top Bollywood actors comprise the voice cast of India's first locally made stereoscopic 3D animated film; an American version featuring Jane Lynch and Tom Kenny opens Dec. 7.

By Lisa Tsering

Lisa Tsering

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Delhi Safari Film Still - H 2012

EMERYVILLE, Calif.  — Animators from India are enjoying a golden age, with some of the leading animation houses with a presence in India, like Rhythm and Hues , nabbing high-profile projects such as Life of Pi and The Hunger Games .

Unfortunately, since the best animators are using their talents for Hollywood films, the resultant animation brain drain means that home-grown projects like Delhi Safari are left in the dust.

The Bottom Line Out-of-date animation throws up a roadblock for this Indian animated 3D family film.

Thanks to globalization, audiences in India now have Hollywood animated films at their disposal on the same day as their American releases, making it imperative for a low-budget ($7 million), purely Indian animated film such as Delhi Safari to stand out from the crowd. Despite solid voice work by top Bollywood actors, the film — described as India’s first locally made stereoscopic 3D animation film — features mediocre animation that will cost it viewers both in India and abroad.

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The premise of Delhi Safari is an admirable one: Faced with the destruction of their habitat so that humans could construct an “eco-friendly” luxury housing development outside Mumbai, a bunch of wisecracking jungle animals team up and take their case to the seat of government in Delhi.

A militant dancing monkey (energetically voiced by Govinda ), an emotional talking parrot who speaks “human” ( Akshaye Khanna ), a protective mother leopard ( Urmila Matondkar ) and her brave cub ( Swini Khara ), and a bear called XXL Bagga ( Boman Irani ) survive a succession of scrapes to reach Delhi and make their grand environmental statement.

Released in 3D in some theaters (this review is based on the 2D version), the film marks the animation debut of writer-director Nikhil Advani , whose career started with a bang with Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2003 but hit a low with 2009’s big-budget martial arts flop Chandni Chowk to China and again with the Britain-set Patiala House (2011).

One of the reasons its animation ( Krayon Pictures ) looks old-fashioned is that the film was completed more than two years ago; it was shopped around at various film markets in 2010. Much has changed since then.

According to its producers, an English version of the film will be distributed by U.S.-based Applied Art Productions; the American version, featuring the voices of Jane Lynch, Tom Kenny, Christopher Lloyd and Jason Alexander, is due to open Dec. 7.

Opened: Oct. 19, 2012 Cast: Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Urmila Matondkar, Boman Irani, Prem Chopra, Swini Khara, Deepak Dobriyal, Sanjay Mishra, Saurabh Shukla Director: Nikhil Advani Screenwriters: Nikhil Advani, Girish Dhamija, Suresh Nair Producers: Anupama Patil, Kishor Patil, Nitish Takia Animation: Krayon Pictures Editor: Aarif Sheikh Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Not rated, 90 minutes.

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Delhi Safari (Film)

• Edit source
• 2.1 Hindi Version
• 2.2 English Version
• 3.1 Theatrical release
• 3.2 International releases
• 3.3 Home media
• 3.4 Delhi Safari  was released on DVD in following countries
• 4.1 Critical response
• 4.2 Box Office

Delhi Safari is the story of a journey undertaken by a leopard cub, his mother, a monkey, a bear and a parrot when the forest they live in is on the verge of destruction. Builders have encroached upon their forest and the animals decide to go to Delhi and protest in front of the parliament and ask the parliament some very simple yet pertinent questions they were thinking of– why has man become the most dangerous animal? Doesn't man understand that if the forests and the animals don't co-exist with humans, the balance of the ecosystem will be endangered?

The film starts with Yuvraj (or 'Yuvi', for short) (Swini Khara in the Original Hindi Version) saying that he lost his father, Sultan (Sunil Shetty) in the morning, but doesn't want to lose his home at any cost. The film carries a flashback of the morning with Yuvi and Sultan playing in the forest and Sultan teaching self-defence to Yuvi while his mother, Begum (Urmila Matondkar) enters. The two mock her for her too much caring attitude towards son that gets Begum angry and she goes. Soon, Begum forgives Sultan and Yuvraj (following a song - her one weakness). However, while coming back, a whole pack of bulldozers come from nowhere and proceed to demolish the surrounding jungle. Begum manages to escape, but Yuvi and Sultan are trapped. The two try to protest bulldozers but land at a site in the forest where they see all the trees missing. In a bid to save Yuvi, Sultan catches Yuvi in his mouth and tosses him to Begum. However, he himself is killed by a human wielding a shotgun, making the whole forest a large enemy of the humans. A talk happens with attendants of all the animals in the area. Many believe that leaving their homes is the only way to survive; however, Bajrangi, a monkey (Govinda), says that he would beat out the wits of those men with his so-called " vanarsena”  - Marela (Sanjai Mishra) and Bharela (Saurabh Shukla), but Bagga the bear (Boman Irani) advises him to talk to humans and Bajrangi asks whether there is anyone who knows the language of humans. A white bird, seemingly a pigeon, Hawa Hawaai (Deepak Dobriyal) pipes up, saying he knows someone who knows both animal and human languages. Yuvi meets the white bird the next day, and asks who is the one he said about. The white bird says the animal he spoke of is Alex (Akshaye Khanna), a parrot who lives with a director, Vikram Khosla. Bajrangi, his "army" of two monkeys, Hawa Hawaai, Bagga and Yuvi go and kidnap the parrot and convince him to go to Delhi with them to talk to the parliament and save their land. Initially refusing, Alex agrees to go to Delhi. Begum, Bagga, Bajrangi and his army board a train to Delhi from Mumbai. After some time Yuvi joins them and Alex refuses to continue until Bajrangi drops his weapons,which he reluctantly does after Bagga hangs him upside down. They then reach Gujarat with guidance of road from Raju, a bat. In Gujarat they meet flamingos and a couple who give them shelter in their homes. One of the flamingos strictly advises them not to cross the banyan tree to avoid the wolf Kaalia (Prem Chopra) and his gang. But Bajrangi goes there and ties Alex using a rope for Kaalia to kill him so that no one can doubt him. Yuvi spots Bajrangi and confronts him but they are spotted by Kaalia. Begum arrives in time to save them.

After this incident Alex pretends to have lost his voice. The animals consult a doctor  Jadibuti   Baba  a turtle who prescribes some ayurvedic medicines of sandalwood, rose, guava to recover Alex's voice, claiming that he has hypertension, stress and high blood pressure. Bajrangi wholeheartedly does the hard work, sometimes himself getting injured. One day he gets to know that Alex was just pretending and chases him leading himself to inadvertently hit a beehive. All the animals run with bees chasing them. A thrilling experience of trains follows after which Bajrangi tells Alex how guilty he feels of thinking to kill him. Alex also realizes how selfish he was and decides to help animals to help them to justice. Begum tells that no one is going to Delhi after listening to a tiger's story of how he only survived death at a human's hands by being a coward and forsaking his old ways; thankfully, following a pep talk and seeing Sultan's spirit and Yuvi who inspires them, Begum changes her mind and with renewed hope, proceeds to Delhi. They finally reach Delhi and tell their message through Alex to the Prime Minister of the country that they want peace between humans and animals and how this young little cub Yuvi inspired all of them to go to Delhi despite all the incidents. In the last scene, it is shown the jungle is saved courtesy of a shared land act (with the area being called the "Sanjay Gandhi National Park-Borivali") and all are happy and settled. The film ends with all animals settled in the Jungle with Yuvi seeing his father's spirit and Begum together happy and Yuvi smiling.

Hindi Version [ ]

• Govinda as Bajrangi the Monkey
• Akshaye Khanna as Alex the Parrot
• Boman Irani as Bagga the Bear
• Urmila Matondkar as the Begum the Mother Leopard
• Suneil Shetty as Sultan the Leopard
• Swini Khara as Yuvi the Cub Leopard
• Prem Chopra as Kaalia the hyena
• Deepak Dobriyal as Hawa Hawai the pigeon
• Sanjay Mishra as Marela
• Saurabh Shukla as Bharela

English Version [ ]

• Carlos Alazraqui as Bajrangi the Monkey
• Tom Kenny as Alex the Parrot
• Brad Garrett as Bagga the Bear
• Vanessa Williams as Begum the Mother Leopard
• Cary Elwes as Bee Commander /Sultan the Father Leopard
• Tara Strong as Yuvi the Leopard Cub
• Jason Alexander as Male Flamingo / Hyena Cook
• Christopher Lloyd as Pigeon
• Jane Lynch as Female Flamingo
• Brian George as Bat
• Roger Craig Smith as The Two Monkeys
• JB Blanc as The Director / Prime Minister
• Dave Wittenberg as Kalia the Hyena Leader
• Troy Baker as Tiger
• GK Bowes as News Reporter #1
• Kate Higgins as Antelope
• Lex Lang as Hyena #1 / News Reporter #2
• Joe Ochman as Man / News Reporter #3
• Fred Tatasciore as Hyena #2
• Travis Willingham as Man in Shades

Release [ ]

Theatrical release [ ].

Delhi Safari  was theatrically released in India on 19 October 2012.

International releases [ ]

• France - 7 June 2012 (Annecy Animation Film Festival)
• United States - 7 December 2012(Applied Art Productions)
• South Korea - 21 February 2013
• Russia - 11 April 2013
• China - 5 September 2014(Huaxia Film Distribution)

Home media [ ]

Delhi safari  was released on dvd in following countries [ ].

• India - 18 June 2013(Shemaroo Entertainment)
• Australia - 11 May 2014(Roadshow Entertainment) (Released as Jungle Safari)
• UK - 30 June 2014(Released as Jungle Safari)
• Sweden - 1 June 2015(Released as Djungelsafari)

Reception [ ]

Critical response [ ].

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15% based on 13 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 37 out of 100 based on 6 critics. Times of India gave Delhi Safari 3 stars. Rohit Khilnani of rediff gave it 3.5 stars and called it a must watch. Roshni Devi of koimoi gave it 2.5 stars. Social film rating site MOZVO gave it 3.5 stars putting it in Recommended category. Multiple critics noted Delhi Safari's out-of-date and subpar animation. Some people noted that the character Alex the Parrot's lack of flight skills and fondness of the domesticated life was similar to the character Blu from Blue Sky Studios'  Rio . Others felt that the story of Yuvi's father's death and his later appearance as a ghost was ripping off the story of Simba from Disney's The Lion King. The film was also widely criticized for its unoriginal plot, many believing the "Animal road-trip" and "stop the humans" storylines to be too similar to Dreamwork's  Madagascar  and Warner Brothers'  Happy Feet,  respectively. Despite criticism, it was awarded National Film Award for Best Animated Film at the 60th National Film Awards with a citation "Animation and animal kingdom come together in showcasing the enormous significance of harmonious cohabitation of humans and nature. State-of the-Art Indian technology employed in this film should make us proud!".

Box Office [ ]

The film grossed ₹2.2 crore (US$320,000) during its entire run in india. In the United States, it grossed $4,334 in 20 screens in its first weekend. [13]  The film was released in South Korea in 2013 where it grossed US $1.83 million and China in 2014 where its lifetime collection is US$1.27 million [14]

A sequel to Delhi Safari will be released. The movie is called Beijing Safari .

• 2 Beijing Safari

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TV Listings

• Cast & Crew

Delhi Safari

• 37   Metascore
• 1 hr 33 mins
• Family, Comedy

A group of animals travel to India's parliament to defend the national park where they live from a greedy real-estate developer who wants to build a sprawling new subdivision.

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2:53 Delhi Safari

Cast & Crew See All

Female Flamingo (English version)

Sultan (English version)

Vanessa Williams

Begam (english version), latest news see all, trailers & videos see all.

Delhi Safari (Hindi Version)

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DELHI SAFARI

By: debbie lynn elias

Bollywood’s gone Hollywood, 3D animation style, that is, with DELHI SAFARI. Talk about enjoyable!! Filled with family, friendship and fun, DELHI SAFARI is an adventure for children and adults of all ages!! A real delight! Animals beyond cute and, in some cases, impishly bad; an environmental message, Bollywood production numbers, superb 3D animation and characters and recognizable star-power voices (in the English version) all make DELHI SAFARI a perfect family film for the holidays and beyond.

In India, leopards rule the jungle. With wisdom and kindness, Sultan is loved by all, especially by his wife Begum and their young cub, Yuvi. Filled with the same energy of young children and cubs the world over, Yuvi is an adorable handful and of course, acts like he’s 2 going on 20. Anxious to be “just like Dad”, Yuvi is beyond excited when Sultan agrees to start teaching him about being a ruler. But that excitement quickly comes to and end when Sultan is brutally murdered by land developers plowing down the jungle in the animals’ Mumbai home.

With the animals in an uproar, they chant back “Live Among Nature”, but their cries fall on deaf ears as the only word the developers understand is “money.” A defiant and angry little cub, Yuvi wants to fight back – fight for the jungle and to avenge his father’s death. Like any mother, Begum wants none of that and is willing to quietly move elsewhere and live in sorrowful peace. But Yuvi will not be silenced and his jungle friends quickly hop on the bandwagon. Bajrangi the Monkey is ready to go to war against the humans while Bagga the Bear thinks talk and compromise in a more humane manner is the way to go if they only get to Parliament in Delhi and plead their case. Only problem is the animals can’t talk “human.” Ah…but there is one jungle friend who can – Alex the Parrot. Alex loves humans. He lives with some. His cage is made of gold and he’s treated like a king – he has snacks and loves to watch tv and movies and, thanks to all his hours of tv watching he has learned to conversationally speak with the humans. But there’s another problem. Alex hates animals and there’s no way he’ll go willing with Yuvi, Bagga and Bajrangi. To Bajrangi, the answer is simple. Kidnap Alex and bring him along anyway.

And so our little group sets out on their own DELHI SAFARI as they make the 700+ mile trek north from Mumbai, getting more than their share of adventures (and a beautiful travelogue of India) along the way. Facing robbers, trains, dancing flamingos, hungry hyenas and even death, nothing will stop Yuvi and his friends. But what will happen when they finally reach Delhi? Will they gain an audience with Parliament? Will the humans hear their cries?

Written by Suresh Nair and Girish Dhamija together with writer/director and Mumbai native and 3D champion, Nikhil Advani, DELHI SAFARI marks the first Indian animated 3D film. Clean, crisp, Crayola 64 animation sets the tone with bright – but not super saturated – color, immersing us in the animal world. Notable is that the use of 3D is never “gimmicky”. It has a very free-flowing organic naturalism to it and gives the film just that little something extra. When it comes to the animation and CGI textures, with DELHI SAFARI, backgrounds – while colorful and bright – are matte and immobile, with animation focusing on the characters and action in the foreground. A fallacy that we so often see with animated films, and yes, even with Disney/Pixar, is that there is often so much happening that you don’t know where to turn your eye. With DELHI SAFARI, we know the background is there, the screen is filled with color, but movement and dialogue is in the foreground, thus allowing one to actually pay attention to the story and dialogue. And what story and dialogue!!

21st century colloquialisms and pop culture reference infuse the dialogue with an organic free-flowing casual sensibility that will engage kids and adults alike. Sounding like kids on a playground, timing is perfect and verbiage is so spot on with the conversation and vernacular of kids today. Pranks and calling each other “stupid” -these are things that while many may say, “boo hiss” and that shouldn’t be in a film or tv show, I say embrace them as this is reality and not being done or said in a harmful manner – just like in DELHI SAFARI. Animals pick on each other, pull pranks, and when they cross the line, there is sage advice and lessons to be learned that kick into play. But what stands out is that kids and adults will immediately tap into the story because of this authentic dialogue exchange. The execution of anthropomorphism is brilliant!

The tongue-in-cheek humor for adults built into the dialogue and star power voicing is to-die-for. As Pigeon, Christopher Lloyd makes reference to a Klingon talking parrot (uh, in case you forgot, Lloyd played a Klingon in a Star Trek movie); Bajrangi the monkey adds a Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry and spaghetti western vocal quality which is complimented by animation scenes that parody that with guns and weapons; Bagga the Bear, voiced by Brad Garrett, harkens in look and voice to the beloved Baloo the Bear in Disney’s The Jungle Book or even Smokey the Bear with the little hat; Alex the Parrot with his multiplicity of languages and mimicry is a nod to C3P0 in Star Wars .

The pop culture touchstones within the film only make it that much more embraceable and effective. Yes, everyone can see many strong resemblances to The Lion King – but they are beloved moments from the film that resonate. The stampede in The Lion King is here in DELHI SAFARI a stampede of machinery chasing the animals through the gorge. Visions of Sultan that come to Yuvi mirror those of Mustafa and Simba. The Flamingo conga line has been used by Disney in several films, but never with Jane Lynch providing an over-the-top laugh-out-loud voicing. The evil hyenas bearing down on Yuvi may look strangely menacing and familiar, but it works and is appropriate to the story. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and, it serves to engage the audience.

Adventure abounds and keeps one engaged – often with mouth agape and eyes mesmerized – with everything from the beauty of the forest to attack of the bees (one of the coolest scenes in the film) to an Indiana Jones type race through a mine shaft. Gotta love little Yuvi’s “Oh look! A train!” when he sees the mining cart and tracks…. Too cute. The innocence that leads to adventure that leads to thinking and figuring out how to move ahead and get out of sticky situations is beyond welcoming. This is how kids think and view the world. I can so see my 8 and 10 year old nephews going, “Oh look! A train! Let’s get in!” and then taking off, jetting around but then having to figure out what to do next. DELHI SAFARI engages the audience both visually and intellectually.

The messaging of the film is clear but never over-bearing or preachy. This is a wonderful story about family and friendship, forgiveness (bad Monkey!!!), the coming together of people and animals that look different, talk different – we may look different, but inside we’re really the same – and with the environment and deforestation as the core, is fantastic. We’ve seen animated stories about the environment, but not the specific issue of deforestation. (I think one of the best films on that issue to date is Sean Connery’s Medicine Man ). Honing in on this specific issue allows for real perspective and for kids to grasp environmental concepts more clearly. Sometimes it’s a lot easier to identify with one aspect as opposed to the entire issue. If kids and adults can’t see from this film that the world really is intertwined and animals and people are dependent upon each other and face the same challenges in each world, then there is no hope for those folks. Particularly impressive is the voicing of Tara Strong and Tom Kenny who, as Yuvi and Alex, respectively, imbue a plucky spirit into each, embodying the concept that even the smallest creatures/kids can make a difference and create a big roar.

My one big concern, however, is the opening scene with little Yuvi and that big tear rolling down his cute little face as he tells us about losing his father and now losing his home. Such heartbreak is not really an ideal way to open an animated children’s film……It may upset some of the littlest moviegoers….it made me sad. BUT, having said that, thankfully the filmmakers do a quick but organic transition into an upbeat happy sequence with father and son leopard bonding and a song to soothe a mad mom. And let’s just say how great Vanessa Williams is with her voicing of Begum. Soothing, comforting. You can almost feel your own head in your mom’s lap with her stroking your hair.

And what would any film from India be without music In DELHI SAFARI we find a wonderful blend of African beats, Bollywood and pop – there is something for everyone. Very much appreciated is that the music never overpowers the story or the film. It compliments it and serves as part of the story.

Also concerning are the animal names. I know this is DELHI SAFARI and the film comes from India, but the names may not be memorable for the audience. However, while the names may not be memorable, the characters, the color, the story, the heart and the fun will be – for years to come. Sign me up for this safari!

Voice Cast: Vanessa Williams (Begum), Jane Lynch (Female Flamingo), Brad Garrett (Bagga the Bear), Christopher Lloyd (Pigeon), Tara Strong (Yuvi), Tom Kenny (Alex the Parrot), Cary Elwes (Sultan), Jason Alexander (Male Flamingo and Hyena Cook), Carlos Alazraqui (Bajrangi)

Directed by: Nikhil Advani

Written by: Nikhil Advani, Suresh Nair and Girish Dhamija

Site Development: SoCal Web Content

Watch Delhi Safari

• 1 hr 36 min
• 5.5   (1,927)

Delhi Safari is a heartwarming and adventurous animated movie that came out in 2012. The movie revolves around different animals that embark on a journey together to protest against the destruction of their forest home in India. The film starts with a group of animals gathered in their forest home, discussing the sudden appearance of humans and their aggressive attempts to cut down the trees. The animals fear losing their homes and their lives due to the encroachment of humans.

However, there is a ray of hope for the animals as a wise, old parrot named Alex (voiced by Govinda) tells them about a story of hope. Alex shares a tale of a group of animals who set on a journey from Mumbai to Delhi to speak to the Prime Minister of India about their plight, and the humans ended up changing their mind about destruction.

Inspired by the story, the animals decide to embark on a journey to Delhi to plead their case to the government. The group of animals includes a cub leopard named Yuvi, a wise old Baxter monkey, a dear squirrel called squeaker, and a colorful tropical bird named Bajrangi.

Once they start their journey, the obstacles start to pile up. They come across a pack of wild dogs led by a ferocious Alpha dog named Sultan. Sultan despises the idea of animals and humans living together and terrorizes the group on several occasions.

After a few escapades, the animals come across a street-smart pigeon named Charlie (voiced by Akshaye Khanna), who agrees to become their guide to Delhi. It's revealed that he is motivated by his own selfishness as he wants to be famous and recognized as a hero after helping save the animals.

The group of animals faces numerous challenges during their journey to Delhi. They encounter human settlements, fast-moving trains, a storm, and even an attack by a poacher. Charlie proves his worth by helping the animals escape and showing great bravery in the face of danger.

Urmila Matondkar provides her voice for Begum, a female black buck the group encounters on their way. Begum is a victim of human greed and had been captive in a zoo, longing to be reunited with her family.

As the animals journey nears its end and they get closer to Delhi, the challenges become tougher. But in the end, they finally reach their destination and are met with a huge gathering of spectators and media.

Delhi Safari is a beautifully crafted tale with a strong message about the importance of conservation of natural habitats. It features excellent animation and great voice acting by the cast. The movie is packed with humor, action, and emotion that will keep the viewers enthralled throughout.

In conclusion, Delhi Safari is a delightful animated movie that is suitable for all ages. It tells a story of camaraderie and courage that teaches the audience about the value of natural habitats and respecting other beings on this planet. It is a must-watch for everyone who wants to be entertained and wants to learn something about conservation as well.

Delhi Safari is a 2012 animated movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.5 and a MetaScore of 37.

• Genres Animation Comedy Kids & Family
• Cast Govinda Akshaye Khanna Urmila Matondkar
• Director Nikhil Advani
• Release Date 2012
• MPAA Rating PG
• Runtime 1 hr 36 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 5.5   (1,927)
• Metascore 37

Special Review: Delhi Safari – English Version

Now, first I have to admit that being a Bollywood lover both hindered and added to my enjoyment of this film. A friend and I were discussing this; we agreed it was hard to get the Hindi version voices out of our heads! However, for the purpose of this review, I will stick to looking at this as a Hollywood version of an Indian animated film… with the caveat that sometimes my Bolly-fanness colored my thoughts.

First the story:

Delhi Safari is the story of a journey undertaken by a cub leopard Yuvi (Tara Strong), his mother Begam (Vanessa Williams), a monkey Barjrangi (Carlos Alazraqui), Bagga, the lovable bear (Brad Garrett) and Alex the parrot (Tom Kerry) as the forest they live in is on the verge of destruction. The animals of Borivali National Park wake up and go about their business as usual. It is an ordinary day for each of them except Yuvi, the young leopard cub. For him it is going to be a day that will change his life forever. For today is the day that he will learn the importance of tradition from his father Sultan – Leader of the Leopards. But his lessons will remain unfinished and end in tragedy. Humans who have only one agenda – clear the forests, kill the animals, and construct multi-story buildings.

So begins the story. A story of how a group of how this disparate group of animals decide to take their petition to the leader of the humans in Delhi… the ministers that work in the parliament. To reach this impossible achievement they must do two things. One – kidnap Alex the parrot who can speak the language of the humans and so will become the voice of the animals. And two – travel from Bombay to Delhi. The journey across the country becomes a journey where enemies become friends and a family comes together to fight for what rightfully belongs to them. Along the way, they meet a motley crew of jungle friends: the Bee Commander (Cary Elwes), the Pigeon (Christopher Lloyd), the singing Flamingos (Jane Lynch and Jason Alexander), and the hyenas that want a snack, and many more. Their mission is simple: once in Delhi, they will ask the government some very simple questions. Why has man become the most dangerous animal? Doesn’t man understand that if the forests and the animals don’t exist, man will cease to exist? Will they save the animal’s home in the forest and will people and animals live together in harmony?

The story is a heart filled and courageous tale with a wonderful message. Not only does it shine a light on the environment, the deforestation around the world and that we need to protect animals that live in those forests, it is also a tale of friendship, love everlasting and standing up for what you believe. Overall I would say the social message is made and received somewhat, but in some ways I think it got lost a bit in the extra layers and turns the story makes on its way to Delhi. Of course some of those extras and turns are the heart of the story, but it is too much and in the end the story rambles and I felt like I was watching two films. I felt it could have gone bigger and better to make its point about saving the forest, and their home.

One of the best things that Advani did was create a great mix of characters, with the protective but bold and fierce leopard mom, the cute and brave leopard cub, the lovable bear who just wants to keep peace, the militant monkey, his funny sidekicks and the reluctant and slightly devious parrot. They ALL seem to work in this world and this is part of what made the film enjoyable to watch.

I loved the mix of the animation in the film. The computer generated animated characters, the storyboard section that told the tale of the destruction man has wrought, the maps, and the picturizations (see my Bollywood is slipping in) of the songs were great. I did not get to see it in 3D, so I cannot comment on that, but I am not sure, seeing the story, if the 3D was needed. They retained the flavor of a Bollywood movie and that was a definite plus. Highlights were the slow motion fights, the full on Bollywood style flamingo production number, Alex singing “Main Tere Tota” and I really liked the bee army and the chase in the mine.

So here is my main problem, and again my Bollywoodness is slipping in, though Vanessa Williams was wonderful as Begam, Brad Garrett fabulous as Bagga, Carlos Alazraqui’s Bajrangi was spot on and Tom Kerry’s Alex too good, it was jarring to hear American voices, especially when the minor characters, which are all human by the way, all spoke with an Indian accent. I kept expecting to hear Boman Irani, Govinda and Akshaye Khanna and I only saw the promos – I have not seen the full Hindi version of the film. This is not taking away from the performances at all of the actors in the English version but it just was odd, and I kept thinking that while watching it. Also to see Begam do the lips pursed to the side “hmmph” (you know what I mean) but know it is Vanessa Williams was just a bit off. Plus, why did Jason Alexander have an Australian accent in the middle of the Indian desert? He was funny but that was just not right. I am just not sure that using these American voices worked, it bothered me, and I think it would have even if I was not a Bollywood writer and fan.

The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is wonderful and fits the mood and the genre perfectly. Loved the beats, the songs and the feel that they created for this movie. The English singers were great, especially Vanessa Williams, but the English lyrics did sound a bit odd and sometimes a bit cheesy matching to the Indian beats, but that may be a pet peeve of mine. I have to confess though; since I watched the movie I have been singing ‘Come Along On Our Delhi Safariiiii’ (trust me you don’t want to hear my version). Do check out SEL’s songs (in Hindi) if nothing else.

In the end, it is an enjoyable adventure animated film, with many cute scenes and with a great message but somehow the story missed the mark and I think that happens both in Hindi and English versions. I applaud Nikhil Advani (be sure to look for his animated cameo) and his entire team for the story and the experiment but I think it should have gone all Indian – this mix did not work. More importantly, I am not sure this will work for audiences – especially American ones.

Delhi Safari is in theaters in the US and Canada now!

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DELHI SAFARI

"environmentally correct".

What You Need To Know:

(PaPa, EEE, PCPC, BB, C, V, S, AA, M) Strong mixed worldview with very strong environmentalist worldview as animals to Delhi to plead with the humans to stop destroying the wildlife with pollution and industrialism and share the world with them, with a politically correct attitude and some strong moral elements as the animals show principles such as reconciliation, forgiveness, redemption, and sacrifice; no obscenities or profanities, but there is toilet humor such as use of the word “poop” and implied urinating by monkey; Sultan shot and killed, and monkey pulls out guns on other animals and takes out a pocketknife to kill parrot character; implied romantic involvement between a parrot’s owner and an actress; no nudity; no real alcohol use, but monkey and parrot do get slightly drunk from coconut milk; no smoking or drugs; and lying, kidnapping a bird, some animals plot to kill others, but their plans are always thwarted, monkey leader is bad role model, and housing developers destroy homes of wildlife.

More Detail:

DELHI SAFARI is an animated movie from India featuring the voices of Western actors about the journey of seven jungle animals on a quest to Delhi to fight for their habitat.

Yuvi (Tara Strong) is the spunky leopard cub, who catalyzes the group to travel to Delhi to speak to the Indian parliament. His mother, Begum (Vanessa Williams), leads the group and keeps everyone in line and on course, especially Bajrangi, a naughty monkey who believes in only war and hate for the humans. Alex (voice of Tom Kenny), on the other hand, is a parrot pampered by humans. He loves the movie, music and media culture he experiences everyday from his cage until he joins the other animals on their mission. Bagga (Brad Garrett) is the peacekeeping bear and gentle giant also a part of their quest.

With the exception of Alex the parrot, the jungle is their home. It’s being destroyed by land developers, machines, pollution, and other acts of mankind. The animals bravely go on a long journey to face the unknown to stop the humans from destroying all that they love.

DEHLI SAFARI is a 3D animation of fair to good quality. The movie has both an Indian and English version. In addition to the all-star cast already mentioned, the English version also features the voices of Christopher Lloyd, Jason Alexander, Jane Lynch, and Cary Elwes. Color, music and montage are used creatively during the movie. As such, the movie is quite similar to THE LION KING and the MADAGASCAR movies. However, some of the songs are too long, and, at times, the music and lyrics seem to be out of sync.

Also, it’s not always clear who the protagonist or central character is. It seems to be Yuvi in the beginning, but as the story progresses, it becomes either Alex or Bajrangi. Alex realizes he has a connection and responsibility to his jungle heritage. Bajrangi realizes that revenge is not the answer. He and his nemesis, Alex, seem to be the two characters with the greatest transformation during the film.

In addition, there are a few notes of moral caution with DELHI SAFARI.

First, there is an implied romance between the parrot’s owner, a filmmaker, and an actress. The filmmaker offers more screen time to the clueless actress as a way to seduce her. Alex the parrot perceived this as great entertainment as he videotapes them from his cage until Bajrangi the monkey cuts in with a cleverly timed interruption. Later, it is further implied that the actress accepted the filmmaker’s advances as we see only her arm stroke his face as if she’s laying across his lap as he sits and watches TV.

Besides this, there are a few other questionable moments involving Bajrangi. It’s implied that he urinates in a field. Also, he contemplates various ways to kill Alex or being killed by Bagga the bear. Later, Alex and he get drunk on coconut milk.

Ultimately, DELHI SAFARI has a mixed pagan worldview. There are some strong moral, slightly redemptive themes, such as forgiveness, reconciliation, humility, faith, and love. Knowing or finding one’s purpose is another concept built into the story. The naughty monkey, who believes that war and fighting is the best way to solve problems, portrays most of the immoral or negative themes. DELHI SAFARI also has a strong environmentalist theme throughout it. The environmentalist worldview is tied into the movie from the beginning to the end, as the animals face their fear of losing their jungle home to land developers, industrialization and mankind. The music and an animation montage speaks to the importance of protecting the environment. This content is somewhat politically correct. Thus, it sounds like some of the Neo-Marxist claptrap coming from those on the left who want to use environmental to expand government control and take away true liberty and real stewardship.

All in all, DELHI SAFARI is an enjoyable animated movie. However, the toilet humor and mature content don’t advance the plot. The two most objectionable scenes are the naughty monkey urinating in the field as he plots a coup with his two stooges and the scene between the parrot’s owner and the actress. In today’s society, these may seem like subtle or trivial points to make. However, including such edgy material for children’s viewership does more to break the movie than make the movie. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution.