Watch the final battle between Mowgli and Sher Khan on stage

A scene from Jungle Book 2 staged by Rangbaaz theatre group

There are some stories you can never tire of reading, no matter how many times they are retold - Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book falls in this category. After its splashing return to the silver screen, Mowgli and his friends will be seen playing a second inning as Jungle Book 2, at the NCPA, today. Adapted from Kipling's The Jungle Book by Pawan Uttam, Lokesh Rai and Gagan Dev Riar of Rangbaaz theatre group, Jungle Book 2 takes off from where the first play, Jungle Book (premiered in 2012 and was directed by Sumeet Vyas and Shivani Tanksale) left.

A scene from Jungle Book 2 staged by Rangbaaz theatre group

So, if Jungle Book was about Mowgli and his friendship with Bagheera, Baloo and a chance meeting with Kaa, Jungle Book 2 sees him making his way to human civilisation and then back, and in the process, putting to test all the important life lessons he learnt inside the jungle and the relationships he built in the wild. "We have focussed on what happens to him and the jungle when he goes to human civilisation.

A scene from Jungle Book 2 staged by Rangbaaz theatre group

It's has a man vs wild setting, with a focus on depleting jungles and plight of wild animals. In this part, a more mature Mowgli returns to the jungle for a final battle with Sher Khan," says Uttam.

The differences between the two parts also exist in the cast with several new members such as Mohit Agarwal (Mowgli) and Kavin Dave becoming a part of the play. Mayur More, who played Mowgli in the first part, will be seen playing the role of a monkey. The cast also includes Rangbaaz's Imran Rasheed and Gagan Riar (Bagheera). "We have 25 cast members, several of them being double cast, telling a completely new story of The Jungle Book. It has been adapted keeping in mind both the adult and child audiences. And also the fact that children are more mature these days," adds Uttam. The play is directed by Lokesh Rai and Swapnil Shrirao.