📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Bollywood Hungama
Entertainment
SS Rajamouli to audition 1,500 voices for dubbing of Mahesh Babu‑Priyanka Chopra’s film ‘Varanasi’
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 23 Aug 2026, 10:37 PM
👁 4
Renowned director SS Rajamouli will oversee a massive voice‑dubbing trial, sampling around 1,500 talent for the upcoming Mahesh Babu‑Priyanka Chopra starrer ‘Varanasi’.
Veteran filmmaker SS Rajamouli has been roped in to supervise the dubbing process of the much‑anticipated bilingual project ‘Varanasi’, starring Telugu star Mahesh Babu and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra. According to reports, the director will listen to recordings from roughly 1,500 voice‑over artists to select the most suitable talent for the film’s multiple language versions.
The extensive audition is part of a broader effort to ensure that the film’s dialogues resonate authentically with audiences across regions, especially given the star‑power of both leads. Industry insiders say that such a large‑scale voice‑sampling exercise is rare in Indian cinema and reflects Rajamouli’s meticulous approach to sound design.
Production houses have not disclosed the final list of selected voice artists, but they expect the dubbing phase to commence shortly after the auditions conclude. The move underscores the growing trend of pan‑Indian films seeking high‑quality localization to maximize box‑office reach.
‘Varanasi’, set against the historic backdrop of the eponymous city in Uttar Pradesh, is slated for a multi‑language release later this year, aiming to capture both North and South Indian markets.
The extensive audition is part of a broader effort to ensure that the film’s dialogues resonate authentically with audiences across regions, especially given the star‑power of both leads. Industry insiders say that such a large‑scale voice‑sampling exercise is rare in Indian cinema and reflects Rajamouli’s meticulous approach to sound design.
Production houses have not disclosed the final list of selected voice artists, but they expect the dubbing phase to commence shortly after the auditions conclude. The move underscores the growing trend of pan‑Indian films seeking high‑quality localization to maximize box‑office reach.
‘Varanasi’, set against the historic backdrop of the eponymous city in Uttar Pradesh, is slated for a multi‑language release later this year, aiming to capture both North and South Indian markets.