PETA, was one of the petitioners, who had moved the Supreme Court, seeking a ban on the bull-taming sport (Jallikattu), stating cruelty is happening with animals in this sport. Protests erupted across the state to revoke the ban on Jallikattu. These groups also demanded that PETA be banned from India.

PETA India, has now asked director Don Sandy, to replace a real chimpanzee with graphics (CGI), in his upcoming film, Gorilla. It has also requested him to never use live animals in the film.

Gorilla, starring Jiiva and Shalini Pandey of “Arjun Reddy” fame, will also a feature a real chimpanzee which plays a pivotal role in the film. The team had wrapped a schedule in Thailand where scenes featuring the chimpanzee were shot.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India, has sent a letter to director Don Sandy after learning that a chimpanzee named Kong will appear in his movie 'Gorilla'. The statement by Sachin Bangera, PETA India's associate director, reads:

"Compassionate, forward-thinking filmmakers would never dream of hauling sensitive wild animals to a chaotic movie set and force them to 'act' for viewers' amusement."

"PETA India is calling on Gorilla's director to cut the cruelty and switch to modern and humane CGI (Computer-generated imagery) and visual-effects technology. Blockbusters such as the 'Planet of the Apes' franchise and 'The Jungle Book' have relied on technology and advanced CGI to create realistic animal characters without harming or harassing their live counterparts."

The body noted that apes used in the film and television industry are commonly taken from their frantic mothers shortly after birth, leaving both the mother and the baby traumatised for life. Investigations have revealed that trainers often punch, kick, beat and even give electric shock to apes during behind-the-scenes training sessions and on the movie set, in order to make them perform "correctly" in the fewest takes possible, PETA said in a statement.

Director Sandy's Response to PETA India 

Reacting to PETA's statement, director Don Sandy has sent out a letter stating that they have wrapped up the shooting of Gorilla by adhering to the rules and legal formalities of both the Indian government and the government of Thailand (where the chimpanzee was hired).

The Gorilla team hired a chimpanzee named Kong which was trained by Samut Training Station in Thailand. The film touted to be a comedy-heist thriller has music by Sam CS. It also has RJ Balaji and Sathish playing supporting roles.