Ben Kingsley Defends The Jungle Book, Calls It Perfect Family Film

Garnering terrific compliments from critics as well as movie buffs, The Jungle Book remarkably evoked the good old childhood memories. Amidst claims that the American fantasy adventure is scary enough to provoke nightmares among children, Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley, who voices Bagheera in the new adaptation, has taken a stand and stated that it is a perfect family movie.

Condemning the claims, the Hugo actor said, "There are moments in the film which are tremendous gifts to children. Jon knows that when you are telling a story to a child you cannot eliminate the dark side, it's unfair. You are not preparing the child for the future, you are not telling that child anything if everything is sugar-coated in pink”.

The 72-year-old actor added, "It does get dark out there, the child will be challenged as a child as well as an adult and any child watching The Jungle Book safely with a parent will say 'That's me, I can do that and I can overcome terrific adversity', and I think that is an essential part of a child's story”.

The Jon Favreau’s directorial is based on Rudyard Kipling's timeless stories and inspired by Walt Disney's 1967 animated classic of the same name.