HYDERABAD : Little do people know that in the Telugu version of the acclaimed Soorarai Pottru titled Aakasam Nee Haddu Raa, Chivukula Srivalli, a well-known Telugu dubbing artiste lends her voice to actress Urvashi, who plays the role of Suriya’s mother’s (Pechi) character. Srivalli, 39, ecstatic with the film’s runaway success says she “did not expect it come become such a hit” as it was an OTT release.
However, she is grateful for the opportunity and says, “It has opened up doors for more exciting work coming my way.” Her next works are Love Story directed by Shekhar Kammula where she dubs for actress Devayani and for Shefali Shah in Emmy winning Netflix series Delhi Crime’s Telugu version.
A mother to twin boys, she adds, “I don’t get attached to the roles, but I am mentally and emotionally attached to DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime...just unable to forget her.” After being a dubbing artiste for 19 years, she still fondly recalls the first time she went behind the mic. “I dubbed for a Telugu serial in 2001 and my first dubbing in a movie was for Pellam Oorelithe in 2003,” she recalls.
She recounts her experience. She says, “Though I was already a theatre artiste and dubbing for TV serials, I was excited to dub for a movie.” She adds, “After the voice test, they found my voice and diction suitable and said it would suit female characters of all age groups, and since then, there has been no looking back.” She has dubbed for over 150 movies and TV series. She has been the Telugu voice of many actresses including Sujatha, KR Vijaya, Bhanupriya, Hema Malini, Suhasini Maniratnam, Saranya Ponvannan, among others. However, her dream is to dub for Radhika Sarathkumar.
“I would love to give my voice to her. She is my super star... I feel my voice will suit her well,” she adds. Srivalli who is a post-graduate in Theatre Arts from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad also has a Nandi award for acting. She got the award for the best supporting actress in 2003 for Yevarigola Vaaride TV serial on MAA TV.
Though acknowledging that the dubbing field is quite competitive, she says, “There is a lot of work for everyone with the emergence of OTT platforms and web series.” What qualities does one need to be a good dubbing artiste? She replies, “Voice clarity, catching the expression, and command on language.” Laughing, she adds, “everyone cannot be a dubbing artiste, we are special.”
— Tamanna S Mehdi tamanna@newindianexpress.com @tamannamehdi