David Jonsson is set to lead the voice cast of the upcoming animated family feature Bollywoof, alongside Oscar winner Olivia Colman and The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar.
Bollywoof follows a British pet dog who finds himself lost in the bustling city of Kolkata. To find his way home, he teams up with a charismatic street dog, and together the pair embark on a journey across India described in the synopsis as being “packed with laughter, heart, beautiful visuals, and extravagant action and musical sequences.” It adds: “At its core, Bollywoof is a celebration of the relationship between India and the U.K., and the enduring bonds between humans and their pets.”
The three will be joined by Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill), Sanjeev Bhaskar (Unforgotten) and Ambika Mod (One Day) in the film, from Prime Focus Studios and being sold internationally by Embankment Films.
The film is directed by Frederik Du Chau (Racing Stripes) from a script by Stephen Leslie, and produced by Jason Newmark, Bob Thompson, Andrew Baker, Laurie Cook, Nisha Parti and Gregory Gavanski. Animation is by ReDefine Originals, with production partner Prime Focus Studios. Financing comes from the National Bank of Canada, with global sales handled by Embankment.
“We set out to build a voice cast that could match the scale and heart of the film, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve assembled,” said Newmark. “David is about to become one of the biggest stars in the world, Olivia is one of the finest actors of her generation, and every name in this cast brings something special to the film.”
Thompson said: “Audiences respond to great characters, and a cast this good gives them to us in spades. It’s an absolute crowd-pleaser, but in today’s market that anecdotal evidence isn’t enough. The test screening results back it up, with top-two-box scores in the mid-90s.”