Kaadan (transl. Forester) in Tamil, Aranya (transl. Jungle) in Telugu, and Haathi Mere Saathi in Hindi (transl. Elephants are my friends), is a 2021 Indian drama film written and directed by Prabhu Solomon. Produced by Eros International, the film stars Rana Daggubati, Vishnu Vishal (Tamil and Telugu), Pulkit Samrat (Hindi), Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Zoya Hussain. It was filmed simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi languages, each with slightly different cast members.
Kaadan and Aranya are released on 26 March 2021, delayed from the initial release of 2 April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theatrical release of Haathi Mere Saathi has been put on hold which subsequently opted for a direct-to-video release on Zee Cinema and Eros Now on 18 September 2021. The film was promoted as a comic strip by famous children’s magazine, Tinkle as Little Bandev.
The film was announced on 13 December 2017. Prabhu Solomon wanted to bring the issue of elephant abuse to the light. Unnikrishnan, an elephant who played a role in Kumki 2, also plays a pivotal role in the film. Hindi actress Zoya Hussain was signed to play a role. Rana Daggubati shed 15 kilograms for this films by eating vegetarian food for six weeks. The makers initially announced Kalki Koechlin to play a role in the film, however, she was replaced by Shriya Pilgaonkar. Vishnu Vishal was signed to play a role in the Tamil and Telugu versions while Pulkit Samrat will reprise his role in the Hindi version.
