Mohanlal starrer Lucifer is having a dream run at the box office and the audience is really impressed by the dialogue delivery skills of actor Vivek Oberoi who shines as the antagonist in the movie. It was actor Vineeth who gave voice for the character named Bobby played by Oberoi. Though Vineeth has essayed many roles on screen, it was for the first time that he has dubbed for another actor. “If it turned out amazing, the entire credit goes to Prithviraj, the director,” says Vineeth.
Vineeth speaks about his maiden dubbing experience in an exclusive interview. Excerpts:
Prithviraj, the magic
“If I got noticed for dubbing for a character, then the credit for it goes to Prithviraj. His hard work, determination and expertise are clearly evident in Lucifer. As a director, he has great knowledge about every character. From the body language to the voice and modulation, he knows every detail about the characters,” noted Vineeth.
Pilot audio
Vineeth had spent around one and a half days to dub for Vivek Oberoi’s character in the movie. Prithviraj had already dubbed all the dialogues of Oberoi. It was Prithviraj’s voice, in perfect modulation, that Vineeth got as the pilot audio. The director had dubbed the dialogues as a reference for him. Vineeth confesses that he was stunned when he received Prithviraj’s audio as the pilot audio.
“Usually we get the audio from the sets as reference at the dubbing studio. It was an experience which clearly showed how much home work Prithviraj, as the director of Lucifer, had done for the movie. Prithvi just told me to use his modulation as the reference. There was everything in that audio track that was done by him. So I didn’t have any confusion about the right modulations or the way of presentation,” explains Vineeth.
Vivek Oberoi, the actor
“The effort put in by Vivek Oberoi is clearly evident. I have read somewhere that he grew up in Chennai. He is familiar with the South Indian languages. It definitely must have helped him deliver the dialogues perfectly. However, it is a difficult job. Though many felt Bobby’s voice sounded familiar, Vivek Oberoi didn’t give them the chance to ponder about it while watching the movie. He portrayed the character amazingly well. He, through his acting, made them believe that my voice really belonged to Bobby. Bobby is a unique villain role which has many layers,” observes the actor.
Amazing team work
The day Vineeth dubbed for the character, Prithviraj had to leave for Jordan for the filming of a movie. However, the duo sat together and spoke about the character. Prithviraj even gave him the necessary instructions. It was associate director Vava who supported Vineeth during the dubbing sessions. Vineeth is really grateful to Vava for his amazing support. The actor has no doubt when he says that Lucifer had an incredible team, who hardly had any tension about the movie.
Challenging scenes
Actor Murali Gopy, who penned the script, too had visited Vineeth at the dubbing studio. Murali walked in quite unexpectedly when Vineeth was dubbing the thrilling dialogues between Bobby and Priyadarshini. The screen writer explained the significance of that scene which helped Vineeth do it impressively.
“I did it by taking Prithvi’s and Vivek’s sounds as references. I felt really happy when I watched that scene in the theater. That scene was really challenging. Besides this, the scene where Bobby, Priyadarshini and other party leaders hold a discussion after the death of Chief Minister Ramdas too was quite challenging. The dialogues were written in complex language, especially the ones spoken to Varma sir, the character played by Sai Kumar. The Lucifer team had supported me a lot during challenging situations like these,” revealed Vineeth.
With Mohanlal
“It indeed is an honor to work with a great actor like Mohanlal. I have acted alongside him in many movies. I share a close relationship with his family as well. For me, working in a movie made under the Aashirvad cinemas is like returning to my ancestral home,” said the actor.
Unexpected appreciation
Vineeth says that he feels extremely happy and thrilled when he is appreciated for his dubbing skills, on the social media. “I didn’t expect such an overwhelming response. I consider it fortunate to become a part of such a huge movie. I express my gratitude and respect to all those who supported me in it,” concluded Vineeth.