This recent phenomenon has really gaining momentum; where Bollywood’s leading ladies (as opposed to the leading men) are making a beeline for Hollywood. Priyanka Chopra was among the first to do it; Deepika Padukone is yet another. Alia Bhatt is considering it and now it seems that Parineeti Chopra is doing the same!
Parineeti Chopra is part of the Hindi version of a Steven Spielberg project
How many Indian actresses can say they were a Spielberg heroine, asked Parineeti Chopra according to a recent headline. While that is true in the strictest sense of the term it isn’t quite what we think of when we think in terms of being a heroine. While she is a part of the much awaited Steven Spielberg movie The BFG, she doesn’t actually star in the film. She is part of the Hindi version of the film and will be dubbing for film’s lead; 12 year old Sophie played by Ruby Barnhill in the original version.
The BFG is a sci-fi film based on a Roald Dahl book of the same name. the story is that of a little girl living in a London orphanage who meets an old giant (the BFG or Big Friendly Giant) who introduces her to the world of other giants; including some super giants, eaters of human flesh and so on. The movie is about the little girl’s nightmares and adventures.
Voice overs coming of age in India?
Interestingly the BFG or the giant will be voiced by Amitabh Bachchan. “Being the voice of the Big Friendly Giant of the Steven Spielberg film in Hindi.. a fascinating tale…,” he tweeted. In addition, Gulshan Grover, Bollywood’s fave baddie will be voicing the character of the Fleshlumpeater (the giant who eats humans in the movie).
Bollywood biggies are no long chary about lending their voice to movies; especially prestigious ventures such as a Spielberg film. Arjun Kapoor recently lent his voice to the Hindi version of animation film Ice Age – Collision Course where he even had a bit of fun at the expense of uncle Anil Kapoor. Earlier, Priyanka Chopra, certainly something of the Indian pioneer in Hollywood had voiced a character in the original English version of the film Planes. Actors such as Irrfan and Sonakshi Sinha have also lent their voices to animation films in the past.
Perhaps voicing of characters presents a different sort of challenge to actors; the challenge of being able to communicate with audiences without the aid of facial expressions or body language; conveying emotion and nuance simply by tonal inflection and voice modulation. Giving one’s voice to an animated character or another actor may be a non glamorous thing to do; but to the true actor it is bound to present a significant challenge…. For Parineeti, it was the challenge of having to sound like a 12 year old girl! How well will she do? We will know when the movie releases in Hindi on 22nd July in India.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
