'Shobana said she wouldn’t promote if she didn’t dub'; Bhagyalakshmi on 'Thudarum' voice replacement

Dubbing artist and actress Bhagyalakshmi has spoken about her shock and disappointment after her voice was replaced in the film 'Thudarum', directed by Tharun Moorthy and starring Shobana and Mohanlal. In an interview with Saina South, Bhagyalakshmi said she had originally dubbed for Shobana’s character but was later informed that Shobana herself would redo the voice.

This reportedly happened because Shobana stated she would not attend the film’s promotions unless she dubbed her own character.“I’ve never heard of any artist saying they don’t want my voice. But recently, something happened that made me very sad,” Bhagyalakshmi said. “Everyone knows that I’ve dubbed for most of Shobana’s films. People often say my voice suits her perfectly. I had also dubbed for 'Thudarum'. This is something I’ve been meaning to share for a while.”

Behind the scenes of the climax

Bhagyalakshmi explained that when she was called in for dubbing, all other actors, including Mohanlal, had completed their parts, leaving only her role.“They told me it was a Tamil-speaking character. I even asked, doesn’t Shobana speak Tamil well? But they told me, ‘Shobana wants to, but we’ve all decided you should do it, Bhagya chechi.’ Even Tharun Moorthy and Sunil told me that I must do it. So I dubbed the entire film,” she said.

She highlighted the emotional effort she put into the climax, performing intense screaming and crying sequences, all while being fully compensated.

Hurt over lack of communication

Bhagyalakshmi said she was deeply hurt that neither Shobana, the producer, nor the director informed her about the replacement. "He (producer) told me, ‘Chechi, we’ve replaced your voice. Shobana has dubbed it herself.’ I asked him, don’t you people have the courtesy to inform me? That’s when they openly said, ‘Shobana said she won’t attend promotions unless she gets to dub.’

So they made her do it,” Bhagyalakshmi revealed.“What pained me most was that Shobana, after so many films I’ve dubbed for her, couldn’t even call and tell me once. Later, I heard Tharun Moorthy say in an interview that it was decided from the beginning Shobana would dub for herself. That’s a lie,” she said in the interview.She clarified that she didn’t want to create controversies but felt the need to set the record straight."Though Shobana said the dialogues, the shouting and crying were mine. I just wish they had the courtesy to tell me that my voice was being replaced,” Bhagyalakshmi added.Meanwhile, 'Thudarum' received mostly positive reviews and turned out to be a superhit.