Shobi Thilakan’s caller tune is the song ‘Kaattu theno,’ which he sang for the movie August Club . It is one of the two movies that he dubbed for his father, thespian Thilakan, after the latter’s death. Incidentally, Thilakan himself was supposed to have sung the number. Throughout his career, spanning two decades, Shobi’s trump card, be it on the small screen or in films, has always been his distinctive voice. Also, he is one of those few dubbing artistes who have got their share of fame as actors as well.
Shobi has cut down on his dubbing assignments considerably to focus on acting. He is acting in serials in four major Malayalam channels – ‘Parasparam’ (Asianet), ‘My Marumakan’ (Surya TV), ‘Maanasamaina’ (Kairali TV) and ‘Malutty’ (Mazhavil Manorama). In an interview with Friday Review , Shobi talks about his career, his father and the journey ahead. Excerpts…
In the limelight
Not many know that I began as a mimicry artiste. It’s all thanks to Achan and Shammi chettan [brother, Shammi Thilakan]. I used to accompany them to dubbing studios and the whole process enthused me. So, I turned to mimicry. Winning first prize at the Kerala University Youth Festival in 1994 was a turning point. Till then my ambition was to become a Chartered Accountant. But that wasn’t meant to be. I formed a mimicry troupe with a few friends and we did several programmes. That was a time when mimicry was not an entry ticket to cinema.
Establishing his credentials
My first serial as an actor and dubbing artiste was ‘Omanathingal kidavo’. I worked as an assistant director and associate director in a couple of serials. When mega-serials became a trend, I was flooded with dubbing offers, most of them for negative roles. It was K.K. Rajeev who broke the monotony by calling me to dub for the hero, Suresh Krishna, in his serial ‘Swapnam’. Till then the hero did not usually speak in a baritone voice. Rajeev turned that around on its head. Later, I became the permanent voice artiste for many television actors. In cinema, my first work was dubbing for Baburaj in Naranathu Thampuran . I have dubbed for I.M. Vijayan for a few films. I got a big break dubbing for Riyas Khan in Balettan .
Milestones
The major one is the state film award I won for dubbing for Sarath Kumar in Pazhassi Raja (2009). I worked with many legends in the movie. I owe the award to director Hariharan sir. The same year I won the state television award for dubbing in the short film ‘Nizhalum Nilavum Parayunnathu’. I also won state television awards in dubbing in 2011 (‘Bhadra’) and 2012 (‘Ramayanam’, ‘Sayvinte Makkal’). Working in dubbed movies enabled me to lend my voice for actors such as Sudeep (Eecha) , Prakash Raj (various films), Venkatesh (Thulasi and Nagavalli) , Sonu Sood (Arundhati) and Rana Daggubati (Baahubali).
Dubbing vs. acting
I love being in front of the camera, but then I can’t give up dubbing because that has been my source of income for so many years. Unlike in the past dubbing artistes are getting their due recognition and appreciation now. However, when I dub for a character, the credit has to be shared with the actor who plays the role. Whereas, when I act, I get full credit and that is quite fulfilling. That’s why I am now concentrating on acting. Of the three serials I am doing now, I play a comic role in ‘My Marumakan’, a first for me. Although television has given me enough acting opportunities, the same hasn’t happened in films. My first film was Aji John’s Nammukku Parkkan . Later, I worked in Ayaal, Veyilum Mazhayum, The Dolphins and Kukliyar . I am looking forward to acting in films.
On his father
He was the reason why I gave up mimicry. He said that I was wasting my talent by imitating another person’s voice and that it would affect my performances as an actor in the long run. He was right. I always looked up to him as an actor. He was a keen observer and that brought about power and conviction to his performances. I observed him to draw inspiration. It was not in his nature to show affection or appreciation, but I was used to it. I had dubbed for him for a few episodes in the serial ‘Peythozhiyathe’ when he was unwell. When we watched the portion together in the hospital, his only remark was that I kept grunting unnecessarily. Later, when he told Jayabharathi chechi , who was also acting in the serial, that he was not happy with my dubbing, she retorted saying that I was excellent!
