A tribute to Heath Ledger

Actor Ashiesh Roy recounts his experience of dubbing for the late Australian actor in the forthcoming Batman movie

Actor Ashiesh Roy is definitely one of the busiest actors around. The actor has just finished dubbing for Hollywood movie Batman: The Dark Knight. Guess, for whom has he given voice for? He has dubbed for the late actor Heath Ledger who has portrayed The Joker in the film.

Ashiesh says, “This has been an experience of a lifetime. I mean, when I started dubbing for the movie, I realised that the kind of a performance he has given in the movie is not easy at all. When I started impersonating his style in the movie, I went through all the mood swings he has gone through while portraying the character.”

According to him, dubbing for The Joker has been by far his most difficult performance to date. He finished the dubbing in four days. “Joker is a very dark character and in those four days, I was actually feeling very low being the character that I was giving voice for,” he says.

He says, “I had apprehensions whether Heath Ledger would do justice to a role which has been essayed by none other than Marlon Brando. As soon as I saw it, I was awestruck. He has done such a mind blowing job in the movie; while dubbing, there were times when I would simply stand there and gape at the screen! And then I would weep that such a phenomenal actor is no more.”

Ashiesh feels honoured that Warner Bros. chose him to dub Ledger’s voice in his last completed film. “I’ve wrenched my guts for this dub, and it’s my homage to this great actor whose life was so tragically cut short by a cruel stroke of fate. Ironically, the Joker’s last words in the film are Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little push…”
Although he is better known for his career in theatre and television, very few people know that he is a much sought after dubbing artiste as well. “I began voice work way back when acting assignments were few and far between. It helped pay my bills then. But now, it has become a passion,” he ends.
m_ranjib@dnaindia.net