Ammanford dad who travels the world working with Bollywood stars

Mark Jones has bagged himself a job working on Bollywood films, which has seen him working around the UK and most recently jetting off to India.

It was November 2018 when Mark, a level three qualified rugby coach, was approached by the Scarlets Community team to take a rugby warm up for a Bollywood film that was being shot in South Wales.

It was during the session that Mark met Rob Miller, Sports Director and CEO of ReelSports, an American-based entertainment company.

Rob asked Mark if he would take up the role as Assistant Sport Director and Rugby Consultant on the movie Jungle Cry for a month.

The role saw 38-year-old Mark choreographing all the UK rugby scenes working on the technical aspects for the film.

Jungle Cry is based on a true story and features a rugby team from Odisha, India made up of tribal children who win a junior-level international tournament in the UK.

The film stars Bollywood actor Abhay Deol, ex Miss New Jersey Emily Shah and Welsh actor Julian Lewis Jones.

Rob, Mark and John the camera man on 83

Mark said: “It was at the end of the project that Rob approached me and asked if I had any experience in other sports to which I replied that I had played cricket since I was a kid.

“It turns out Rob was working on a Bollywood cricket movie called ’83 starting in the new year of 2019. We kept in touch over the Christmas period and in January he sent me the script for the film.

"This film was shot in several UK locations including Lords Cricket Ground and starred Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh and was Directed by the award winning Kabir Khan. During filming I met many famous people including Kapil Dev, Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Balwinder Sandu and Gordon Greenidge.”

Mark has previously worked on television as an extra and featured on Stella, Keeping Faith and Casualty. He said it was through his time hanging out at different sets that gave him a little bit of an experience about how things worked.

Mark has recently returned from working in Chandigarh, India, shooting Jersey - a film about a talented but failed cricketer who decides to return to cricket in his late 30s and represent the Indian cricket team in a bid to fulfil his son’s wish for a Jersey as a gift.

“The film is due to be released in 2021 and stars Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor,” said Mark.

Adding: “Next year I have another two projects lined up – a Bollywood cricket move in Bombay and a Hollywood Rugby movie, set to be shot in South Africa.

“Never in a million years did I think I would be doing something like this, but I am loving every minute of it.”

Ranveer and Mark on the set of 83

Mark said that working through a global pandemic has not been easy but said he has always had the backing of his supportive family.

“It was a little more difficult to get the Visa this time around because of coronavirus,” he said.

“I had to travel to London the day before I left to meet with the Indian consulate then travel to the other side of London to get a rapid Covid test to ensure I could fly the next day.”

Mark said he was “pleasantly surprised” with the measures implemented in India to help stop the spread of Covid.

“Everywhere you go there was sanitising stations and I have not seen a single person not wearing a mask.

“Every day we arrived on set they would take the temperature of every crew member, actor and extra with numerous people walking around set carrying hand sanitiser.”

Rob Miller, Mark and an actor in Jersey

Now Mark is back home and is back to his full time job as a regional sales manager for tool hire company, Boels Rental.

“My employers are fantastic,” said Mark.

“I use my holidays when working on a film, or take unpaid leave. I am really fortunate to work for such an understanding company."

Mark is currently planning to return to India next year to work on the next film project in the pipeline.