In the jungle, Kaa (Cate Blanchett), an enormous Indian Python who is the jungle's seer, watches as man enters the jungle for the first time. Man brought darkness and chaos to the jungle. Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), a barbaric and sadistic Bengal tiger with a crippled front leg, breaks jungle law by hunting down a family of humans, with only the child escaping. Bagheera (Christian Bale) a wise black panther, is drawn to the scene after Shere Khan had left. Bagheera rescues the man-cub, Mowgli (Rohan Chand), and takes him to a family of Indian wolves being raised by Nisha (Naomie Harris) and Vihaan (Eddie Marsan), only for Tabaqui (Tom Hollander), Shere Khan's hyena follower, to find the boy before he is chased off. They take the infant Mowgli before the wolf council and Akela (Peter Mullan), the leader of the pack, to decide his fate. Akela says that as per law 2 members of the jungle are required to speak for the man-cub. Bagheera raises his hand and buy Mowgli's life with a kill and Baloo (Andy Serkis) a firm but fair Himalayan brown bear, is strong-armed by Bagheera into agreeing. Shere Khan arrives to kill Mowgli and says that the man-cub belongs to him as he already killed his mother earlier in the day. But Akela stops him, saying the boy is now a member of the pack and forces Shere Khan to leave. Shere Khan warns that when Akela misses his prey, his leadership of the pack will end, and that is when he will return to kill the boy. The child, now known as Mowgli, is adopted by Nisha and raised with the wolves. Meanwhile, a human village is gradually established near a river running through the jungle. For many years after, Mowgli lives among the wolf pack. Bagheera teaches Mowgli how to hunt and tells him never to kill a fellow animal for sport. Baloo teaches Mowgli the 3 laws of the jungle: no contact with man, no killing of man's animals including the sacred cows, no killing of man inside the jungle. Mowgli stumbles upon the village while roaming the jungle. Baloo tells Mowgli that the monkeys do not follow the jungle law. They find a cow killed in the jungle and Baloo reports to Akela that Shere Khan is back. Akela knows that Shere Khan is challenging him. Bagheera says that the only way to avert war with Shere Khan is to send Mowgli back to the man village. One day, Mowgli goes swimming alone and encounters Shere Khan. Shere Khan had antagonized the nearby "man-village" by killing their cattle. Mowgli manages to escape the tiger after falling into a pit (a tiger trap set by the villagers) and was saved by Hathi, an Indian elephant missing half a tusk. Bagheera finds Mowgli and takes him home. Though Bagheera reveals to Mowgli that he is a human, and he will be safe if he goes to the Man-Village, Mowgli states that he wishes to be a wolf. He declares that he will only go if he fails the pack's trial called The Running, which would determine if he can become a full member of the pack. The Running is a hunt where the candidate is the prey. Bagheera is the hunter and if he catches the candidate, he fails and cannot join the pack. Bagheera urges Mowgli to leave the jungle for the village, where he will be safe from Shere Khan. Watching the village from afar, Mowgli learns of the existence of fire. During the trial, Bagheera, acting as hunter to chase the young wolves and test their strength, continually chases Mowgli. Mowgli uses his ability to climb and run upright to gain the lead. Desperate to keep him safe, Bagheera unfairly foils Mowgli and is confronted by an enraged Baloo. Mowgli is kidnapped by the Bandar-log, a gang of monkeys, on Tabaqui's orders for Shere Khan. Shere Khan attempts to eat Mowgli while he is unconscious but is stopped by Baloo and Bagheera. However, during their battle with Shere Khan's minions, they are overwhelmed, and it is only the intervention of Kaa herself that saves Mowgli. Having failed the trial, an angry Mowgli rejects the friendship of Bhoot, the albino runt of the wolf cubs, and visits Kaa. Mowgli learns that Kaa has been watching him and that she believes that he has the power to change the jungle. She then directs him to face Shere Khan, who is again challenging Akela for Mowgli. While hunting, the aging Akela fails to bring down his prey, leading Shere Khan to remind the pack they must now challenge him for the role of leader. Mowgli stops the tiger and Akela's challengers with a burning branch taken from the Man-Village but shames himself in Akela's eyes and is forced to leave for the Man-Village. Mowgli is captured by the villagers, including the colonial hunter, John Lockwood (Matthew Rhys), and placed in a cage. Bagheera visits him and tells him to stay, encouraging the boy to gain their trust, as Bagheera once did to escape captivity when he was young. Mowgli slowly comes to enjoy village life, being raised by the kindly Messua (Freida Pinto) and learning hunting and life skills from Lockwood. However, Mowgli's attitude towards Lockwood changes when he sees that Lockwood hunts for sport and has killed Bhoot (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), a wolf cub friend of Mowgli. Mowgli's wolf-sibling Gray Brother informs him that the tiger has driven away the wolves loyal to Akela and continues to kill cattle, endangering all the jungle's animals, but Mowgli refuses to help. While the villagers celebrate Holi, Mowgli learns that it was Lockwood who shot off Hathi's tusk and discovers his hunting trophies, including the head of Bhoot. Returning the tusk to Hathi, Mowgli offers him the hunter in exchange for ridding the jungle of Shere Khan. Mowgli meets with Baloo, Bagheera and the wolf pack, declaring that Shere Khan must die. The animals feel obligated to remain out of the conflict as it would break jungle law to fight Shere Khan. Regardless, Mowgli proceeds with his plan and lures Shere Khan to the edge of the village, where with the help of Hathi, whose tusk was robbed by Lockwood, and other bull elephants, he mortally wounds the tiger. However, Lockwood accidentally grazes Mowgli with a bullet while trying to kill the tiger and accidentally shoots Akela when the wolf saves Mowgli from Shere Khan. Lockwood is slain by Hathi before he can do more harm, and the other animals rally to Mowgli upon seeing his resolve. Akela gives Mowgli his blessing to lead the jungle's creatures and the wolf pack before he dies. With Messua and the village watching, Mowgli returns to the jungle and slays the mortally wounded Shere Khan. Mowgli is re-accepted as a member of the jungle. Kaa goes on to say that Mowgli gave the jungle a voice, and that as long as he lived and watched over it, there was lasting peace.
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