After a casting coup where B-Town, including Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan, Nana Patekar, Om Puri and Shefali Shah, come together to dub for the Hindi version of The Jungle Book, Disney India has yet another ace up their sleeve to ensure the year’s most-awaited epic adventure is truly special for the Indian audience. The Studio brought on board renowned writer Mayur Puri to pen dialogues for the Hindi version of The Jungle Book.
“The Jungle Book for us and all of India is a Tentpole release – one that we own and are proud of as much as any other big Hindi film. The adventure tales of Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo and Shere Khan strongly resonate with Indians. We worked with Mayur on ABCD and then on ABCD 2 – both of which have been milestones for the studio. Having Mayur on board had helped us hone the India connect, humour and simultaneously preserved the nuances of each character in the Hindi version and we are absolutely thrilled with the results. We hope the audiences in India enjoy the film as much in Hindi as in English.” says Amrita Pandey, Vice-President – Studios, Disney India.
“As a kid I was mesmerized by the world of Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo and Shere Khan. On top of it, Jon Favreau’s film is fantastic! So it’s a great opportunity for me to write the Hindi dialogues. The lines will maintain the original flavor but have a taste of India. Honestly, the most exciting and probably the most challenging thing to do in my entire career as a lyricist was writing the Hindi songs in The Jungle Book. The pressure was humongous. Firstly, because Gulzarsaab’s ‘chaddi pehan ke phool khila hai’ has set an extremely high benchmark. Secondly, I’ve been singing ‘Bare Necessities’ since I was 10 years old. To recreate new words in place of something you’ve been singing for 30 years is not an easy task. Working on Jungle Book is the kind of thing a writer has on his bucket list. I’ve ticked it,” says writer Mayur Puri.
Back in 2013 the writer had penned songs and dialogues for Disney’s ABCD: Any Body Can Dance, followed by its sequel, ABCD: Any Body Can Dance 2, which released in 2015. He has also been associated with blockbusters like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kick, Om Shanti Om and more.
Priyanka Chopra will match Scarlett Johannsson’s sensual rendition of Kaa. Irrfan will dub for the friendly bear Baloo, which is dubbed by Bill Murray in the Hollywood version. Shefali Shah will dub for Raksha, Lupita Nyong’o lent her voice to the wolf in the international version. Om Puri will lend voice for the black panther Bagheera, Ben Kingsley has dubbed for the English version. And Nana Patekar, who had dubbed for the fearsome tiger in the animated series – the Jungle Book: The Adventures of Mowgli – that was aired on Doordarshan in the 90s, will once again lend his voice to Shere Khan. Idris Elba has dubbed for the Bengal tiger in the international version.
Disney’s The Jungle Book is one of the most-anticipated films of recent times and releases in India on April 8, a week before US release.
