The live-action version of The Jungle Book is releasing in India, which inspired the original stories, on Apr. 8 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The first Hindi trailer features the voice of Bollywood actress and Quantico star Priyanka Chopra as the snake Kaa, sounding sinister and mysterious in equal measure.
In the Hindi version, other beloved characters such as Sher Khan the tiger, Balloo the bear and Bagheera the panther have been voiced by actors Irrfan Khan, Om Puri, Nana Patekar and Shefali Shah. While Chopra gives voice to Kaa in the Hindi film, Scarlett Johansson is behind the character in the English version.
.@TheJungleBook was one of my favourite parts of my childhood and now I get to be in it as the voice of Kaa! Wooopiee! https://t.co/GcJv5CWSKF— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) March 18, 2016
Inspired by British author Rudyard Kipling's 19th-century collection of stories of a jungle in central India, the Disney film has been directed by Jon Favreau and stars newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli, the boy who makes his way through the forest with the help of his animal friends. It also reimagines the popular 1967 animated film also produced by Disney with live-action technology. The international cast also includes Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Ben Kingsley and Bill Murray.
The Jungle Book releases in India on Apr. 8 and in the US on Apr. 15.