Star dubs lift Hollywood films in India

Dubbing by Indian superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Babu can greatly lift the reach and box office potential of Hollywood animation films releasing in the local theatres.

- Lata Jha

Take, for instance, Walt Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King that is set for release this week. Trade experts say that voices of names like Khan and Mahesh Babu, who have respectively dubbed for Hindi and Telugu versions of the film, can enhance the box office potential of such Hollywood movies by nearly 40% in India.

While American films have long been dubbed for Indian audiences, studios have recently been keen on engaging mainstream Bollywood and southern film voices to add value and help marketing and promotional campaigns.