KOCHI: Vaikippoyo Acharyaputra?’
Of all the euphoric moments that Kalki 2898 AD gave its audiences, this one dialogue stands as an exceptional case. Along with the staging and visualisation, this dialogue’s impact could be heard from theatres, very loudly. That one dialogue marks a monumental moment in Malayalam dubbing.
As Kalki enjoyed a full house run in cinemas, an English series, The Boys, released on an OTT platform with a Malayalam dubbed version, is eliciting laughs among the audience.
However, these two releases point to a new phenomenon — the rise in demand and popularity of the Malayalam dubbing industry. And it all began with the release of the epic blockbuster Baahubali: The Beginning.
Not new
Movies dubbed into Malayalam are nothing new. Before the era of pan-Indian flicks, there were movies such as Sankarabharanam (1980), Sagara Sangamam (1983), Geethanjali (1989), etc, that were dubbed into Malayalam from other Indian languages.
And the number of popular dubbed movies saw a new demand in the 2000s. “But in those times, dialogues were translated in a literal sense. And Malayalam dialogues were never synced with the actor’s delivery on-screen,” says senior dubbing artist Shobi Thilakan, who has lent voice to many heroes and villains.
Baahubali was the game changer, he adds. “It changed the translation process to transcription.” While other movies focused on literally changing the language, here the process was translation with contextual understanding, so as not to lose the soul.
“Nearly five people were involved at every stage of the dubbing process — including the dialogue writer Mankombu Gopalakrishnan, director S S Rajamouli’s associate, engineers, dubbing artists, etc. Everything was meticulous,” he adds.
Then came the OTT phase, and suddenly everything changed, and the dubbing industry, which was already seeing more work than the previous years, saw a new boom.
The rise of OTTs
The post-pandemic OTT boom has resulted in the reach and acceptance of content from various parts of the world. Many platforms started streaming their content in regional languages.
“OTT platforms have now formally designated a post of dubbing directors. They will look after and manage the entire dubbing process. This was earlier done by the film director or their associates,” explains Shobi.
Sometimes, the movie director also will have a minimal role when it comes to dubbing, explains Roby Varghese Raj. “This was the case when Kannur Squad was being dubbed into other languages,” says the director of the smash hit.
Though he had slight creative differences in the dubbing output of his work, he mentioned that he rarely saw other language films with bad Malayalam dubbing these days.
“However, dubbing into regional languages will increase the visibility of movies. That was the case for Kannur Squad which was well-received by many non-Malayalis,” he says.
Meanwhile, even now, a huge section of movie watchers prefer the original to the dubbed version, says Mahesh Kunjumon, who entered the industry through mimicry. “However, there is no attitude of rejection towards dubbed versions.”
According to Sreeja Ravi, a senior dubbing artist and dubbing director, Malayalis would easily move towards the original version with English subtitles if the dubbing quality is poor.
It is true; not many would go for the Malayalam version of The Boys or KGF 2 — which polarised viewers with some trolling it for its translations.
“The main issue arises during literal translations from the original work,” explains Sreeja.
“Then, insufficient supervision or the absence of competent dubbing directors in the studio also are reasons for the dip in quality. There may be instances where artists dub without a deep understanding of the language. Moreover, limitations in compensation can affect an artist’s dedication and effort toward a project,” she says.
According to her, by preserving the beauty of each language, these significant flaws can be avoided. However, seeing a few trolls and old poor-quality dubbed movies, people have a general perception that dubbed movies are poorly done, she says. And it contributes to the already loud issue of the lack of recognition.
But, above all, artists point to another worrisome aspect — lack of funds.
“OTT works have very low budgets compared to theatrical releases, tremendously impacting the quality,” says dubbing director Mufthash Maheen. This, he says, prevents many studios from hiring quality artists.
According to him, the main expenses include paying rent for the dubbing studio, and remuneration for dubbing directors, artists, lyricists, scriptwriters, etc.
OTTs will be the last selling point of most films, as all other businesses regarding it would be done beforehand, and hence the budget will be very low, explains Mufthash. “Hence, the budget for the theatre release will be twice or thrice as that of OTT versions.”
However, none of this will excuse a bad quality dub and it will go on to haunt the artist. “If we compromise on quality due to budget constraints, it will be at the cost of my credibility,” explains Mufthash.
Sreeja recalls a recent experience where she was approached by a team to direct the dubbing of a smashing hit in Malayalam. “I was shocked when they asked me not to focus much on quality, as the budget is low,” Sreeja reveals. “I told them, whatever the budget, I would not compromise on the quality.”
As a dubbing director, Sreeja says, she prioritises offering fair compensation to the artists based on the value of work.
“If a project’s budget doesn’t align with this principle, I choose not to take it on. With a reasonable budget, I could potentially hire up to 40 artists, whereas a lower budget might only allow for 10 or 12, and only those willing to accept the reduced rate. Insufficient funds mean fewer artists, potentially resulting in a few individuals voicing many characters. This underfunding also affects the ability to hire skilled script writers and directors,” explains Sreeja.
Lack of recognition
Whatever the constraints, the effort voice artists have to put into their work is humongous, explain industry veterans.
It is not an easy feat, especially while dubbing from other languages into Malayalam. “While I take a maximum of one day to complete dubbing for a Malayalam movie, the case is different while working for other languages. It took me three days to complete Baahubali: The Beginning, four days for its sequel, and around five for Arundhati,” Shobi recalls.
The success of a dubbed version will help the artists become popular, whereas other efforts get zero acknowledgements or awards. “Often, artists who are involved in the dubbing process will not be even acknowledged in the end credits,” says Mufthash, who is currently working on the dubbing of the upcoming movie Ajayante Randam Moshanam starring Tovino Thomas.
“There is no governmental recognition for dubbed films or the talented voice artists behind them,” laments Sreeja, who was the dubbing director of movies such as Gargi, Rocketry, Shyam Singha Roy and the Tamil versions of Paachuvum Athbuthavilakkum and Vaalatti.
At present, artists receive acknowledgement when they self-promote on social media, where a supportive community exists. “Fans appreciate the works of dubbing artists by sharing clips and crediting them, often revealing surprising information. Some enthusiasts compile collections of voices and characters, which serve as the sole avenue for our recognition.” However, an award for the dubbing category will also help in increasing the quality, says Sreeja.
And this word-of-mouth publicity has a role in the acceptance of dubbed versions, says dubbing artist-cum-director Priya Lekshmi. She points to the thumping success of the Malayalam dubbed version of Ponniyin Selvan movies as an example. The English action series Fallout, Hindi series like Dahaad, Farzi, the animated film Merry Little Batman, etc, opened to positive responses, she says.
But an official recognition will lift the spirits of artists, Mufthash chimes in. There might be practical difficulties in providing awards in this section, as the original content is not a Malayalam product. “But the struggles and efforts people put in deserve formal recognition,” he says. After all, they are also artists entertaining many Malayalis across cinema halls, television channels and streaming platforms.