Marilyn Thipthorpe
The Jungle Book is all set to hit the big screen come April 8th. Now I’m sure almost everyone who has ever read this Rudyard Kipling classic or seen the cartoons and films adapted from it have some fond remembrances of Mowgli, Baloo (a.k.a Papa Bear), Bageera, Sher Khan and the many other characters. The Film is directed by Jon Favreau (who also directed Iron Man and Chef) and it’s completely done in CGI excepting the part of Mowgli. Most of you might have already checked out the sneak peeks and trailers of the film, so now let’s catch up with 12 year old Neel Sethi, who plays the mischievous, lovable Mowgli.
Neel was born in New York City but is an Indian American, who has all the vigor required for the heavy task of carry The Jungle Book on his shoulders. He was chosen from over 2000 boys who came to audition for the role of Mowgli but Neel was chosen for a variety of reasons, one of which was that his Indian heritage allowed him to feel and even show a connection to the role. Casting Director, Sarah Finn, says that Nell has a very warm and friendly nature but is also very intelligent for his years and is able to hold his own in any situation. This sentiment was further echoed by Director, Jon Favreau, who says that even though Neel was a new comer to the big time movies, he still took direction well and never deviated from the path shown. Neel did have a role in the short Film Diwali released in 2013 but it did not earn him much recognition or acclaim and he auditioned like any regular kid on the block for his role. Neel says that the biggest problem he faced while filming The Jungle Book was that he had to be covered in mud for many consecutive scenes which made him itch all over! He goes on to say that he feels a strong affinity with his characters as they both are free spirits, stubborn and confident.
Neel does quite a bit of the stunts shown in the movie, of course they we done under strict safety precautions and guidance, but while screening the movie for the first time, Neel went slack jawed at his image on jumping from one rock to the next which he claims to be a “400 foot jump”. Neel says that although he has grown up in America, he feels like India is his home and even though the tales of the jungles and swamps did once scare him he now feels more adventurous and wants to visit them while on his regular tips to India to visit his maternal grandparents. In his most recent visit to India, for the promotion of The Jungle Book movie, Neel spent a spot of time in Mumbai to visit Deans Bungalow, which was the birthplace of Rudyard Kipling, the author of the book. He even learnt a few bhangra dance moves and in the fashion of a true Mowgli feed a couple of bananas to an elephants. He declares that he is in love with golgappas and can have as many as 27 in one sitting.
Well there you have it folks, this high spirited young lad is all set to take you by storm with his duality, showing off his innocence with once glance and then up to high jinks in blink of an eye… You never know what he might get up to next, so go check out the Jungle Book soon as it hits theaters near you.