Ghost speakers lend voices to Bollywood

Model-turned-actor Upen Patel, who was born and brought up in the UK, would like us to believe that he had no trouble with the Hindi dialogues in his debut film.

But dubbing artiste Viraj Adhav has a different story to tell. Viraj, who has lent his voice to John Abraham, Ashmit Patel and Zulfi Syed, has dubbed for Upen in 36 China Town.

One of Bollywood’s worst kept secrets, dubbing artistes work away from the arc lights and their contribution often goes unrecognised. “That’s the way it’s meant to be. No actor would like to admit that he cannot handle the dubbing himself,” says Viraj.

Industry observers point out that professional dubbing artistes are usually brought in to add value to a product that has rank newcomers. Often the focus is just on the looks of the actor while factors like voice and diction are secondary. “This is when we come in,” says Mona Ghosh Shetty, the voice of Katrina Kaif in Sarkar and Humko Deewana kar Gaye.

Mona, who has dubbed for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Rani Mukerji, Kajol and Bipasha Basu, says it takes time for upcoming actors to pick up voice and dubbing skills.

“It’s easier and less time consuming to use the services of a professional than to train the actor for dialogue delivery,” she says.

Voice-over

Viraj Adhav: John Abraham in Jism; Ashmit Patel in Murder; Zulfi Syed in Taj Mahal; Upen Patel in 36 China Town.

Mona Ghosh Shetty: Rani Mukerji in Ghulam: Kajol in Dushman; Ameesha Patel in Kaho Na Pyaar Hai; Bipasha Basu in Raaz, Jism; Katrina Kaif in Sarkar, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye; Sonya Jehan in Taj Mahal; Reema Sen in Hum Ho Gaye Aapke; Koena Mitra in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena; Lisa Ray in Water.