Haathi Mere Saathi (2021): watch the full film free, legally

Bandev and the elephants

Haathi Mere Saathi, whose Hindi title translates as “Elephants are my friends”, is a 2021 Indian action adventure film. Its central figure is Bandev, and the film is described as an animal story about a deep, strong bond between humans and animals.

The film addresses elephant abuse, an issue writer and director Prabhu Solomon wanted to bring to light. An elephant named Unnikrishnan, who had appeared in Kumki 2, has a pivotal role.

Three language versions

Solomon wrote and directed the film, which was produced by Eros International and filmed simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The Tamil version is titled Kaadan and the Telugu version Aranya, both translated as “Forester”. Each version has slightly different cast members.

Rana Daggubati, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Zoya Hussain star across the project. Vishnu Vishal appears in the Tamil and Telugu versions, while Pulkit Samrat takes the corresponding role in Hindi. Shantanu Moitra composed the music. Swanand Kirkire wrote the Hindi lyrics, and Vanamali wrote the Tamil and Telugu lyrics.

A delayed Hindi release

The film was announced on 13 December 2017. Rana Daggubati lost 15 kilograms for the role, eating vegetarian food for six weeks. Kalki Koechlin was initially announced for a role before Shriya Pilgaonkar replaced her.

Originally planned for 2 April 2020, the release was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaadan and Aranya were released on 26 March 2021, while Haathi Mere Saathi followed on 18 September 2021. Tinkle promoted the Hindi film as a comic strip called Little Bandev.

Film details from the Wikipedia article “Kaadan”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.