By Shreyas Talpade Reveals Why Hindi Dubbing for ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Was Tougher Than ‘Pushpa 2’
Actor Shreyas Talpade, known for his versatile performances, has showcased his talent not only on screen but also as a voice artist. Having dubbed for blockbusters like Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule, Shreyas is now set to reprise his role behind the mic for the Hindi version of Mufasa: The Lion King, the sequel to the 2019 live-action film The Lion King.
Sharing his experience with ETimes, Shreyas revealed the challenges of voicing animal characters compared to humans. “When dubbing for a person, their facial expressions and emotions help you capture the nuances. But with animals, it’s surreal,” he said. Citing Pumbaa as an example, he joked, “Sanjay Mishra’s Pumbaa has his eyes near his ears—how do you see emotions like that?” Voice actors like him rely heavily on the original English track to understand the intended emotions and adapt them to resonate with Indian audiences.
The sequel, featuring stunning animation, brings the Pride Lands to life. When asked how Indian cinema compares with Hollywood’s realistic animations, Shreyas pointed to budgets as the key factor. “Our animators are incredibly talented, and some may even have worked on Mufasa. However, Hollywood invests enormous sums, and that makes a huge difference.”
He emphasized the importance of financial backing and vision, stating, “Great ideas require resources to execute. Indian animation has made significant progress, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Shreyas concluded optimistically, noting that with proper investments, Indian cinema can achieve remarkable feats in animation.
Mufasa: The Lion King will release in Indian cinemas on December 20 in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
