'Varanasi': SS Rajamouli to sample 1500 voices for dubbing of Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra starrer across 50 languages

Rajamouli chooses human voices over AI for 'Varanasi' dubbing

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli is taking an elaborate approach to the global release of his upcoming film 'Varanasi', ensuring that the performances of Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran retain their emotional depth across languages. According to a report by Mid-Day, Rajamouli does not want the performance to get diluted when the film moves from one language to another. The report stated, "Rajamouli [doesn't want] the performance to get diluted when the film moves from one language to another. For him, dubbing is not just about translating the dialogue and matching the lip movements. The voice has to carry the emotion, personality, and intent of the character. Rajamouli wants the audience in every market to experience the performance, not just know the dialogue."

Rajamouli is insisting on using real artistes instead of AI-generated or synthetic voices for the dubbed versions. The report added, "The voice is an extension of that performance, so he wants real artistes behind the different language versions. Over 1500 artistes' works will be sampled before choosing the voices for the final cut." This move comes at a time when many filmmakers are reportedly using AI dubbing even for two or three languages, as noted in Deccan Chronicle's coverage.

1,500 voices to be sampled

As part of this rigorous process, Rajamouli's team plans to sample the work of over 1,500 artistes before finalising the voices for each language version of 'Varanasi'. This detail is consistent across multiple reports, including those from NewsBytes and The Times of India. The goal is to ensure that the voice carries the emotion, personality and intent of the character, rather than simply translating dialogue and matching lip movements.

The filmmaker had earlier dismissed speculation that AI was used to create the film's glimpse, calling it "a huge insult to their artistic genius", as reported by The Times of India.

A global release plan

'Varanasi' is set to be dubbed in around 50 languages and released across 120 countries, making it only the second Indian film to achieve such a wide release after Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan' (2023). The film is expected to release in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and several other languages. This ambitious plan underscores the scale at which Rajamouli is approaching the project, as highlighted by Deccan Chronicle.

With Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran playing central roles, the voice and emotions of the characters will be crucial in every language. Deccan Chronicle noted that Rajamouli is in "no mood to compromise" and is "leaving no stone unturned" to pay attention to the minutest detail. The outlet also mentioned a budget figure of Rs 1200 crore at stake, although this detail was not corroborated by other sources in the provided material.

The film is scheduled to hit theaters on April 7, 2027, according to NewsBytes and The Times of India.