Bollywood Hungama

EXCLUSIVE: From earning Rs. 300 for 1st assignment to voicing Michael Jacksons character in Hindi, voice artiste Ketan Kavva gets candid on the art of dubbing: You have to match actors emotion, timing, expressions and lip movements

When cinema lovers watch a movie in a language they dont understand, they rely on sub-titles. But there is a large section of the audience that relies on dubbed versions of films that are in an alien language for them. The task is carried out by dubbing artistes who are today more known as voice artistes or voice actors. Ketan Kavva is one such artiste who has been in the dubbing field for over 15 years. He has dubbed for various movies and shows. His noteworthy assignment this year involves voicing Jaafar Jacksons character in Michael in Hindi. In other words, he gave voice to the character of the legendary Michael Jackson in the film. Interestingly, he started his journey by dubbing one dialogue in the Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer Chup Chup Ke, for which he earned Rs. 300. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, Ketan Kavva opened up about his work and journey so far. What did you keep in mind or what kind of preparations did you do while giving the Hindi voice for the character of Michael Jackson in Michael? Voicing Michael was a very special responsibility for me because he is such an iconic personality. My first priority was to make sure that the Hindi voice felt authentic to the character and, at the same time, remained natural for the Indian audience. I paid a lot of attention to his mannerisms, his pauses, his emotional expressions and the way he delivered his lines. Since I was voicing Jaafar Jackson portraying Michael, I also had to make sure that my performance complemented his performance rather than becoming an imitation of Michael Jackson. After 15 years in dubbing, Ive learned that you cannot just translate the words - you have to understand the character and the emotion behind every line. That was my biggest focus while dubbing Michael. Did you also carry out any research on the real Michael Jackson? Yes, definitely. I went back to Michael Jacksons interviews, performances and videos to understand his personality, his mannerisms and especially the way he spoke. The film is a performance by an actor portraying Michael, so my job was to support that performance in Hindi. The research helped me understand the person behind the character, which ultimately helped me make my dubbing more convincing. How was the experience of carrying out the Gujarati dubbing for Tom Holland in Spider-Man? It has been a very special experience because Tom Hollands Spider-Man has been a character that Ive had the opportunity to voice in Gujarati, including Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Gujarati dubbing also comes with its own challenge because you want the language to sound completely natural while retaining the energy, humour and personality of the original performance. For me, it was particularly satisfying because Spider-Man is such a globally loved character, and being able to bring that character to Gujarati-speaking audiences in their own language is something Im very proud of. Apart from voicing human characters, Im also known for specialised voice work involving animal sounds, reactions and character voices. For instance, in Netflixs animated series Sharkdog, I have voiced Sharkdog in Hindi, including his barking sounds, reactions and expressions. In Superpupz, I have also dubbed the parrot character in Hindi. I have also dubbed for Luke in Kalki 2898 AD in Hindi. In gaming, I voiced the character Maxim in Free Fire, and my Hindi voice can be heard in-game itself. I have been the Hindi voice of Robin, the lead character in Teen Titans Go! on Cartoon Network for over 10+ years. Being associated with the character for such a long period has been one of the most memorable parts of my dubbing journey. What is the biggest challenge for a dubbing artiste? I think the biggest challenge is to make people forget that they are watching a dubbed performance. The audience should feel that the character is actually speaking in their language. For that, you have to match the actors emotion, timing, expressions and lip movements, while also making the dialogue sound natural. Sometimes you may have only a few seconds to deliver a line with exactly the right emotion and timing. So, dubbing is not just about having a good voice - it requires acting, observation, timing and a lot of discipline. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ketan Kavva (@ketankavva) Are there more opportunities for dubbing artistes because of the emergence of OTT? Absolutely. OTT has changed the dubbing industry tremendously. Today, audiences are consuming content from different countries and in different languages, so the demand for quality dubbing has increased significantly. Earlier, dubbing was often looked at as something secondary. Today, there is much more awareness about the importance of a good dubbed performance. With films, web series, animation, anime and even games being localised into multiple Indian languages, there are definitely more opportunities for voice artistes. At the same time, the competition has also increased, so artistes need to constantly improve their acting and language skills. You were paid Rs. 300 for your services as a dubbing artiste for Chup Chup Ke, which was your first proper assignment. Can you recall that experience? I remember it very clearly because Rs. 300 may sound like a very small amount today, but at that time it meant something completely different to me. It was my first proper professional dubbing assignment, and honestly, I was just extremely excited to be inside a studio and getting paid to do something I genuinely loved. I dont think I was thinking about how much I was earning. I was thinking, this is what I want to do. Looking back after 15 years, those Rs. 300 feel more valuable than many bigger cheques because it was the beginning of my professional journey. It gave me the confidence that I could actually build a career out of dubbing. You gained an interest in dubbing from your uncle (kaka). He has dubbed for popular shows like Ramayan and Mahabharat in Gujarati. Did you ever hear any interesting stories from him while he was dubbing for these two epic shows? Yes. My uncle was one of the inspirations behind me getting into dubbing. As a child, I used to hear about his work and that naturally created an interest in me. One thing that stayed with me was how different dubbing was in those days. There was no technology or convenience like we have today. The process was much more manual, and artistes had to be extremely precise with their dialogue and timing. Hearing about his experiences on shows like Ramayan and Mahabharat made me realise that voice acting could actually be a profession. In a way, I feel I inherited my interest in dubbing from him, and then over the years I developed my own style and identity as a voice artiste. Also Read: Michael becomes FIRST non-dubbed Hollywood film to screen at Raj Mandir, Jaipur