With the growing popularity of audio series and podcasts, many actors have taken up voice overs as another medium to showcase their talent. Here’s getting to know a few among them

(L-R) Amit Sadh, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan, Richa Chadha

Sheetal

Celebrities never shy away from trying their hand at different things. Be it fashion, business, YouTube, Vlogs or humanitarian causes, artistes often jump into the fray. As more actors are lending their voice to audio series, here’s a quick check.

Marvel universe

Saif Ali Khan joined the Marvel universe with the first-ever Hindi original audio-series by Audible India titled Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star Lord. Released on June 28, the 10-episode series is already commissioned for six seasons focused on different Marvel superheroes, including Hawkeye, Black Widow, Wolverine, Doom, and Marvel’s Wastelanders. It has been adapted in Hindi from Marvel’s hit audio series by the same name.

Kareena Kapoor Khan will also be joining her husband, Saif, for this ambitious project in the following seasons, as she has signed up to lend her voice to the character of Black Widow (Helen Black).

At the announcement event of this series, actors Jaideep Ahlawat (Hawkeye), Ashish Vidyarthi (Doctor Doom) and Sharad Kelkar (Wolverine) also joined the power couple, confirming their roles in the series in the near future. The upcoming season will release through this year and 2024. Apart from them, Mithila Palkar, Prajakta Koli and Masaba Gupta (Lisa Cartwright) have also lent their voice for various roles in the upcoming season of Wastelanders (Hindi).

Power couple

Another Bollywood couple associated with voice-overs is Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal. Together they were part of audio thriller Virus 2062 back in 2021 when many actors were still contemplating whether audio medium was good for their careers. And now the season two of the same series awaits release.

Going global

Actress Shruti Haasan had recently lent her voice to a character in DC’s audio-drama Sandman: Act III. She voiced the character of the landlady at the World’s End Inn in this New York Times best-selling original audio drama series. The project has been directed by Neil Gaiman. This is her third international project after acting in the series Treadstone and lending her voice to the character of Elsa in Frozen 2 (Tamil).

Gaiman’s The Sandman got a Hindi adaptation last year and Tabu (narrator), Manoj (Dr Destiny) Bajpayee and Adarsh Gourav (John Constastine) lent their voices to the audio series. Other members of the voice-cast include artistes Vijay Varma (Lord Morpheus/Dream), Kubbra Sait (Death), Sushant Divgikar (Desire), Tillotama Shome (Colliope) and Neeraj Kabi (Lucifer).

Bollywood actor Amit Sadh made his debut as a voice artiste for a podcast on DC Superhero, titled Batman Ek Chakravyuh. While Mantra is the director of this Spotify series, actors Sharib Hashmi and Shweta Tripathi have lent their voices for the important characters of Riddler and Barbara Gordon, respectively. Anangsha Biswas, Aseem Hattangady, Ashwin Mushran, Danish Hussain, Pooja Gor, Rajat Kapoor, Sarika and Vrajesh Hirjee were also part of the series.

Mirzapur-fame Rasika Dugal has been part of BBC Radio 2 audio series, The Empire. This international comedy audio series has been written by stand-up comedian-screenwriter Anuvab Pal and directed by Ed Morrish. British veteran Stephen Fry is also a part of the series.

Work wise

Actor Adarsh Gourav’s recent audio series, Desi Down Under, was released in May this year. Earlier, he also worked in Neil Gailman’s The Sandman as a voice artiste. Actress Prajakta Koli is also part of Desi Down Under and will be working in Marvel’s Wastelanders: Hawkeye.

Beyond television

TV show Anupamaa-fame Sudhanshu Pandey hails podcasts as the future of the entertainment industry. He has lent his voice for an audio series, Shraapit. He say, “Audio platforms represent a new form of entertainment and I firmly believe that they have a bright future ahead. This growth is evident in various aspects, such as the popularity of audiobooks. People truly enjoy listening to stories, and for actors, it offers a unique opportunity to showcase their talent solely through their voice. They need not worry about facial expressions, makeup or hair, but can instead channel all their focus into voice modulation. Personally, if I were to lend my voice to an international character, I would choose the Hulk.”