Baahubali 2's VFX-generated elephant deserves more; as do its other animated brethren

Baahubali: The Beginning was a film of epic proportions. The making of such a film involves the blood and sweat of the director, actors, and indeed the whole crew of the movie, who make several sacrifices in order to ensure that the film is a success. The result is telling of their effort; the movie made Rs 6.5 billion at the box office, and the sequel has made websites crash even before its release. Not just this, the nation is dying to know why Kattappa killed Baahubali.[caption id="attachment_3406208" align="alignnone" width="825"] Baahubali. Image from Twitter[/caption]In the midst of all this, one entity will go unnoticed. This entity, while being voiceless and without a name, is responsible for carrying the legacy of Baahubali (and the man himself) on his trunk. We're referring to the elephant who featured in the poster with Prabhas.Sure, it is difficult to grab attention when you're sharing screen space with a superstar like Prabhas. Sure, the elephant is computer generated and "not real", you will argue, but does that mean that this creature does not deserve to be treated well? Does it not deserve the same rights and protections that we would give its flesh and blood counterparts? Did we ask it if it would like to carry a human on its trunk?Firstpost Special Forces believes in the unalienable rights of the VFX generated animals that feature in Bollywood and Hollywood films. We firmly assert that they deserve to not only be part of meaningful films, but also not suffer in vain. Sure, they may not be real, but how does that make them less worthy of a happy, well-lived life?To argue our case, we present to you the plight and pain of some VFX animals who have suffered at the hands of ambitious directors and animators.The parrot from Main Prem Ki Deewani HuRaja the parrot was one of the pivotal characters in this film, starring Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. Quite the film buff himself, this parrot would only parrot the names of films to communicate with people. We think it is very unfair that a talking parrot with a working knowledge of film titles was caged in a film where every single actor took it upon themselves to overact. He deserved so much more.The bear from The RevenantThe Revenant won Leonardo DiCaprio his first Oscar, but what we often forget was that behind this Oscar-winning actor, both literally and metaphorically, was a bear who would not stop chasing him. Had the bear not attacked Leo's character, he would not have been injured and would not have been left behind. And the bear did not attack him out of spite — no; the bear was only protecting its children. The bear was the biggest plot twist, and yet, we are not told what happens to it after it mauls the protagonist.Shere Khan from The Jungle BookBefore you lash out at us for siding with the bad guy, put yourself into Shere Khan's shoes, er... paws. Here's a tiger, minding his own business, who finds himself blinded because of a human being. Understandably, he doesn't like the sight of humans anymore, and objects to Mowgli's presence in the forest. But some animals fall in love with Mowgli, and decide to protect him. What happens next leads to the whole forest being up in flames, thanks to Mowgli. Whose side are you on now?The lion from Kung Fu YogaWe wouldn't wish being part of a car chase scene, shot Rohit Shetty-style, on anyone. Sadly, a VFX lion was forced into this situation in this film, and we think he was truly petrified by Jackie Chan's driving skills, because he emotes much better than the action hero. Apart from a bumpy car ride, the lion was also the victim of Chan's incessant and silly questions, such as "Do you speak Mandarin?"