‘We’re living in a culture that is about division’: Andy Serkis on adapting The Jungle Book and the theme of 'belonging'

Often heralded as the master of motion-capture performances, the English born actor, Andy Serkis, was in Mumbai to promote his next. While most fans will remember him for his unforgettable performance as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and even as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboots, Andy goes both in front and behind the cameras for Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. The Netflix film, an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, boasts of an impressive cast with voices by Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch and Rohan Chand essaying the title role. Unlike the childhood tale most of us have grown up reading, this one is more dark and intense. Over to the actor and director... 

Did you have any apprehensions taking on a classic story like this?

No, because it was a fresh interpretation of the script. I think with great, classic pieces of literature, it’s fine to have different interpretations. This one was dealing with something very specific. You can’t make a version of The Jungle Book unless you know it’s specifically rooted in Indian culture so that’s very important. It’s also much closer to the tone of Kipling’s book for sure. We wanted to make a Mowgli centric story — it’s about his very complex psychological, emotional journey of self-discovery.

One of the themes that comes across is that of belonging. Mowgli doesn’t know whether he belongs to the wolves or man. Is that pertinent even today?

More than ever. We are seeing massive migration around the world. People are leaving their homes, you see people in their homes who feel like they don’t necessarily belong. There is an increase in tribalism but there’s also... I think we’re living in a culture that is about division, about celebrating division rather than celebrating coming together and particularly for teenagers. Mowgli is at that age where he’s asking the big questions in life and is discovering that he isn’t from the family that he’s born into. I think it is really a great metaphor for young people especially. 

The film is a lot darker and not necessarily child-friendly. Were you okay with the PG 13 rating?

It is, though I actually think it is okay to see from the age of eight or nine. For three to five-year-olds, I think it would be too intense. It’s not that it’s too dark to show but it’s just intense. There’s a bit of gore. 

What was it like playing Baloo?

I was directing the movie and didn’t intend to play Baloo. But it sort of seemed to fit and I approached the character that I thought might be interesting which, going by the book, he was the tougher of the teachers of the wolf cubs. The preconceived notion of Baloo was that he was a happy, almost hippy bear, singing songs. In this version, I wanted to make him more about tough love, about Mowgli’s survival and the importance of that. Yes, he has a deep affection for him but he doesn’t show it that much. It’s a much more complicated relationship.

One of your most memorable roles even today is that of Gollum. Are you particularly proud of that?

Absolutely, it was a really groundbreaking role for me for many reasons. And obviously, it started a whole journey for me in terms of exploring new ways of becoming characters so I’m very proud of that work. 

You have supported a number of charities and causes. Any particular ones that are important to you?

I’m involved particularly with a children’s charity called Barnardos and Best Beginnings. The next generation is of prime importance and should be given the best start they can.