We have all read or heard or watched the cartoon movie about the boy who grew up among animals called Mowgli but do you know who played the part of Mowgli in the super hit 2016 live-action version of The Jungle Book? It was Neel Sethi.
Now 18 years old, he auditioned for The Jungle Book among a thousand others and got the role through his great acting skills and hard work. Neel Sethi is an Indian-American child actor who was born in New York City on December 22, 2003 and began his acting career in 2013 by starring in a short film called ‘Diwali’ before ultimately auditioning for The Jungle Book and becoming a superstar.
In an interview with IANS, Neel mentioned that he never thought about becoming a superstar, but he liked it. Unlike other kids his age who thought that being famous was cool, he did it because he enjoyed it. In reality, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents and become a dentist like them, ” I always wanted to be a dentist because my parents are dentists, and that’s a lot of fun,” said Neel.
During the shooting of The Jungle Book, Neel Sethi, who was 10-year-old then, got to work with a lot of famous Hollywood actors, including Jon Favreau, who also directed the movie and played the part of Pygmy Hog, Idris Elba, who voiced Shere Khan, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, and many others.
Neel had the time of his life while traveling in private jets, interacting with top Hollywood actors, and shooting for the film alongside Jon Favreau. When asked about who Neel’s favorite character was in the film, he replied, ” Balu because he is so free-spirited and laid back. He doesn’t worry too much.”
Origin of The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book, written by Rudyard Kipling, is based on a real-life story of an Indian guy who grew up in the jungle among animals and adopted their ways of living. He walked on all fours, ate raw meat, and barked like a dog. His name was Dina Sanchar. In 1867, during the British Raj, Sanchar was found sleeping among a pack of wolves by a group of hunters when he was six years old.
Even after Sanchar was sent to an orphanage, he never adapted to the ways of humans, like eating normal food or talking. Till the day Sanchar died in 1895, he hadn’t uttered a single word. Rudyard wanted to let everybody know about Sanchar and the boy who lived among animals, so he converted them into stories but with a different ending than the one Sanchar got.
The 2016 version of the film is based on Rudyard Kipling’s collection of stories about a boy named Mowgli who grew up in the jungle among animals and was cared for by a pack of wolves. The jungle was led by the wolf pack leader Akela. When a tiger named Shere Khan threatens to kill Mowgli, he decides to flee from the jungle for the safety of others. He is accompanied by a black panther named Bagheera, who decides to take Mowgli to the nearest man-village. During his journey, Mowgli befriends a Bear named Baloo and, in the end, defeats the Tiger with the help of fire.
Neel Sethi Is Similar To Mowgli:
The actor who played the part of Mowgli, Neel Sethi, often said in interviews that he was similar to Mowgli in many ways, so it wasn’t very difficult for him to play the part.
In an interview, Neel said, ” I didn’t do anything special. Actually, I was just myself because Mowgli and I are similar. We are both stubborn and free-spirited, and when we put our mind to something, we will try to get it no matter what.” He also mentioned that he didn’t have a hard time shooting for The Jungle Book. Instead, he was pretty comfortable and found shooting the film a lot of fun.
The Jungle Book was loved by its viewers, which consisted of both adults and children, and was a major success grossing over 966 million dollars with a budget of 177 million dollars. The film also won a few awards for its visual effects, including the 22nd Critics Choice Award and Academy Awards. A sequel to The Jungle Book is in production.
A Hindi version of the film was released in India a week before the film was released in America. In the Indian Version, many of Bollywood’s celebrities voiced the characters like Om Puri, who voiced Bagheera, the late Irrfan Khan as Baloo, Priyanka Chopra as Kaa, and Jasleen Singh Chadda as Mowgli. Neel Sethi has always been fond of Priyanka Chopra, and during the shooting of The Jungle Book, Priyanka Chopra had encouraged Neel, saying, ‘It’s going to be epic!’
When the shooting of The Jungle Book began, Neel was just ten years old but still hadn’t felt nervous because the director of the film which is Jon Favreau made him feel comfortable and helped him in connecting with the character. “It was like everything was blue and green, and there were puppets that I was interacting with, and Jon used to be with me. So, it was easier for me to act.”
Is There Going To Be a Jungle Book 2?
After the success of The Jungle Book, Disney has decided to make a sequel with Jon Favreau getting in the director’s chair again. Neel Sethi is going to reprise his role as Mowgli. After ‘The Jungle Book, Jon Favreau has made two other live-action films which are ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’ released in 2016, and ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ in 2019. Some other actors might be returning, but no solid information has been provided by the production team, along with the release date of the film.
Now that we know everything about Neel Sethi, let’s have a look at some of his other works:
The Last O.G. (2018-2021)
The Last O.G. is a comedy series consisting of 4 seasons with a total of 40 episodes that aired from 2018 to 2021. The series revolves around Tray, who gets released from prison for good behavior after 15 years.
As he steps outside, he realizes that many things have changed in the past 15 years, including his past girlfriend becoming a mother of his children but now being married to a white man and also the neighborhood in which he used to live in.
The series follows Tray’s struggles as he tries to make a living, connect with his family and cope with all the things that have changed in the past 15 years. The series stars Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Haddish, Allen Maldonado, Ryan Gaul, and others. Neel Sethi plays a supporting role in one of the episodes, which boosts his fame.
Second Chances (2023)
Second Chances is a teen comedy film currently in production and set to air in 2023. It follows the story of Nick Stone, who used to be a famous star, as he gets dragged to a wake by his sister Disney and his former girlfriend Kayla, who has now become super famous. The rest of the film follows their journey as they find themselves in troubles that they were not expecting.
The film stars Ryan Ochoa, Amber Frank, Hayden Byerly, and Neel Sethi playing a supporting roles, and others.
The Jungle Book (2016)
The Jungle Book is a classic story based on Rudyard Kipling’s collection of stories. It follows the story of a young boy Mowgli who lives in a jungle among other talking animals.
A black panther named Bagheera had brought him to the jungle after saving him from a vicious Tiger who had killed his parents. Ever since then, Mowgli was adopted by a female wolf Akela and brought up as one of her own.
Meanwhile, the vicious Tiger, Shere Khan, who had killed his parents, finds out that Mowgli is still alive and goes to the jungle and threatens to kill him. For the safety of his wolf family and other animals, Mowgli decides to leave the jungle, and Bagheera accompanies him to the nearest man village.
The rest of the film follows Mowgli’s journey as he befriends a bear and saves the jungle. The film stars Neel Sethi, Idrie Elba, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and others. A sequel to The Jungle Book is on the way.
Growing Up Gorman (2023)
Growing Up Gorman is a 2023 teen film currently in production. It follows the story of a young boy Derek Gorman who is a geek and wishes to be popular. One day, he sees a poster of the battle of the band’s competition and makes up his mind. He plans on taking part in the battle of the band’s competition to get both popularity and his long-time crush Patricia O’Connell’s heart.
The film stars Makenzie Vega, Emma Kenney, Gabriel Bateman, Neel Sethi, and others.
Diwali (2013)
Diwali is a 2013 short comedy film starring Neel Sethi, Anamika Srakar, Zulfikar Ali, and others.
It follows the story of a young Indian-American boy Jay as he tries to hide a swastika, which is a Hindu symbol drawn on things to protect it from bad luck, from his friend Sasha and her father, who are Jewish and who are driving him to school. Diwali is the first film that Neel Sethi starred in when he was just ten years old.
