A key factor in making a dubbed film work across other regional circuits is the voice of its lead actor. The voice often represents the particular actor in a region beyond his home base; singer Mano is that voice for Rajinikanth in the Telugu states. Barring a film or two, the singer has dubbed for all Rajinikanth films from Muthu . The 23-year-old association continues with Kaala . Ahead of the film release, Mano unveils unique facets about the actor, his voice and what Kaala holds for the audiences.
“Rajinikanth played a critical role in shaping Mano, the singer too,” he says. Mano first sang for him in Velaikkaran and his reach grew leaps and bounds after the film’s success. He got a ‘single card’ in a series of films including Rajadhi Raja . However, the test of his life came when dialogue writer Ramakrishna approached him to dub for Rajinikanth in the Telugu version of Muthu . Sai Kumar had just opted out owing to his flourishing career in Kannada films.
- Raghuvaran
- Kamal Haasan
- Sarath Kumar
- “Kamal Haasan’s dialogue delivery is very musical-closer to the Coimbatore slang, this matched my skill set well,” says Mano.
“They were searching for a new voice. Ramakrishna asked me to try dubbing for a couple of scenes and get it approved from Rajini sir and not to be disheartened if I don’t make it. Rajinikanth felt the glides and the sharpness in my voice matched his. The journey took off finally,” exclaims Mano. He got better with every assignment and understood the nuances better — like Rajini’s pacy dialogue rendition, the nasal tone, depth and clarity. Mano was good in grabbing the essence of the original dialogue in Telugu.
There was a time Rajinikanth used to smoke, but gave up later. “The pace in his dialogue delivery was reduced. He insisted that I don’t get affected by the changes. Rajini felt since Telugu audiences were familiar with my voice, I should not change much.” Mano remembers the actor’s late night call ahead of Chandramukhi , ‘Your voice worked better than the original’ were the magical words.
Being a Rajini fan, the actor says there are three stages as he dubs for the actor’s film. The first time, he enjoys the thrill of watching the film before an average spectator. The second round unleashes the technician in him, while he checks the lip sync finally. “It’s important to see my previous Telugu dubbed films before I begin a sitting. I need to be careful with my cold. The pressure is huge because you know the entire continent is going to watch his film in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil.”
Mano says one would see the energy of the actor’s earlier films in Kaala . “He really lived his role as a leader of the masses, the director has built the excitement and aura well. There are a lot of action sequences to watch out for.”
Will this film aid Rajini, the politician too? “For sure, this will only boost the scenario,” Mano adds. On factors that make him vouch for Rajinikanth, Mano mentions. “Be it me or any six-year old, we fall for his style. He never publicises his charity work, it’s a rarity in the industry. We need to imbibe his discipline too. His enthusiasm and optimism make him a charming person.”
