Anyone who has seen 'Ullozhukku' will never forget the character of Rajeev, played by Arjun Radhakrishnan. Even the climax of the film hinges on a crucial dialogue delivered by Arjun’s character. However, in the film's most emotional scenes, it is not Arjun’s voice we hear, but that of another actor—Roshan Mathew. According to the film’s director, Christo Tomy, many people only realized it was Roshan who voiced Rajeev when the State Film Awards were announced.
Interestingly, Roshan was initially considered for the role of Rajeev. However, due to Covid and other commitments, the film's production extended, making it impossible for Roshan to take on the acting role. Arjun, who stepped in as his replacement, delivered a remarkable performance that elevated the character.
"The entire film used sync sound, but only Arjun’s character required dubbing. Arjun’s voice didn’t quite match that of a young man living in Alappuzha town, so it was decided during the shoot that dubbing would be necessary. We tried many dubbing artists, but none of them worked out," Christo explained. "That’s when we turned to Roshan. Geethu Mohandas had introduced me to Roshan earlier, and we continued our acquaintance. I asked one of the sound designers, Anil Radhakrishnan, if we could try Roshan’s voice. Anil responded, ‘It would be great if it were an actor’s voice.’"
Even with this suggestion, Christo harboured a small doubt. By that time, Roshan had already established himself as a well-known actor, even starring in Hindi films and series. Christo wondered how Roshan would react to the idea of dubbing for another actor. "If it had been someone else, they might have hesitated to come for dubbing. But when I asked, Roshan immediately said, ‘I’ll come. You can take a test.’ I didn’t even have to convince him," Christo shared.
Although Roshan mentioned taking a test, the team was fully confident. They waited in the studio, certain they would skip the test and proceed straight to dubbing. Roshan arrived and dubbed with remarkable confidence.
Given that the film used sync sound, Parvathy’s voice and emotions were intricately interwoven with the visuals. Roshan had to seamlessly blend his voice into another’s performance, without losing any emotional depth. "After the dubbing was completed, I found myself wondering, what would I have done if Roshan hadn’t been available?" Christo mused.
When the State Awards were announced, it was Roshan who called Christo first to share the news. "I had already said that Roshan did everything with confidence. When he called to tell me about the award, he added something else. He said that this was the first time he had put so much effort into a dubbing performance. I’m delighted that Roshan got the recognition he deserved for that effort," Christo concluded.
