Prabhas starrer 'Kalki 2898 AD' is smashing box office records and making a run in theatres. Among those who are happy with the success of 'Kalki' is a girl from Kozhikode named Neeraja. It was Neeraja who wrote the Malayalam dubbing dialogues of 'Kalki 2898 AD'. Neeraja says that writing the dialogue is the same as writing the screenplay. She also said that it is important that the audience does not feel that they are watching a foreign-language film. Neeraja shares the dubbing details of 'Kalki' with Mathrubhumi.com.

How did you become involved in the project?

Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada-language films have been dubbed into Malayalam for quite some time now. The last one I did was 'Salaar'. I co-wrote it with Shankar Ramakrishnan. I had also worked with Shankar on the film ‘Kushi’. I also did films like 'Yuva' in Kannada. After seeing my work experience in other films, Vyjayanthi Movies approached me to do 'Kalki' in Malayalam.

Can you describe your writing process?

The dubbing script was written after watching the movie. But when it came to ‘Kalki’, the dubbing script was written watching the raw footage of the film, which hadn’t passed the production stage. Meanwhile, small-budget films like 'Kushi' were given after the dubbing was completed. In films like ‘Salaar’ and ‘Kalki’, along with their post-production, the writing and dubbing work are done. In the case of 'Kalki', what we get is the performance of the actors in front of the green screen. The script is written after listening to the voice in the raw footage. The thing is, when we see it, we should be able to understand what the director meant by that scene. 'Kalki' is a special project. It shows things about 870 years from the present. It is associated with 6,000 years of old Indian mythology.

How hard was it to write for Kalki?

I was first called to Hyderabad to watch the movie. The Malayalam translation started only after clearing all the doubts that came up while watching the film. Doubts were sure to arise as the script was written after viewing the raw footage, where graphics weren’t added. Several corrections were required from our side while writing the story. Whatever was changed in the film should also be changed in the script. The final film will not be as long as it was when we first wrote it. There won't be much doubt about the films that are ready and in hand. However, sometimes I worked directly with the director or writer of the respective films.

What challenges do you encounter when you translate conversations from one language to another?

The translation is done after observing various factors, including the movement of the lips. A word suiting that meter should be used in the new language in which the dubbing script is written. That's why we need a lot of vocabulary. Only if it is written in this way will the audience feel that they are watching a movie in their own language. For example, suppose he writes a dialogue with the phrase ‘he escaped’. But the person dubbing in Malayalam may not be able to speak in the same rhythm as in the original language. Then add one more word, and it will mean that he has escaped. Sometimes the actor's lip movement on the screen ends with the sound of ‘U’. A word ending in ‘E’ cannot be added there. Writing and dubbing should have the ability to change and reverse lines in that way. I also sit in the studio while the dubbing of my films takes place so that I can make changes if required. The ultimate goal is not to make the audience feel like they are watching a movie in a different language.

If you look at pan-Indian movies on a large scale, you will find actors from several languages acting in them. Sometimes the dialogue is spoken in their mother tongue for convenience. Then you have to understand the meter intended by the director of that film to write the dialogue. This is a challenge not only in 'Kalki' but in all big films. For example, Amitabh Bachchan narrated all his emotional scenes in Hindi. The point is to understand and translate the emotion.

What are the difficulties with the translation?

When people hear about my work, they ask if I do translation. There should be no change in what the director intends to say in a scene or dialogue, other than dubbing. For example, a comedy that clicks only among the Telugu audience will not be digested by the people in Kerala. Meanwhile, there is a process to translate everything that the director intends without omitting anything. Herein lies the difficulty of scriptwriting. All the dubbing films coming now are of good quality. The difference is in the brilliance used in screenwriting and dubbing.

Why did you choose this profession?

Basically, I am a skill development trainer and motivational speaker. I worked in Hyderabad for 16 years in this regard. At that time, there was not much time to get into anything creative. But writing was often done. I came back home in 2018–2019. I wanted to pass on my experiences for a long time to the people of my place because my profession was full of social responsibility. I started doing translations after people started approaching me with written works. But writing dubbing dialogues for foreign-language films was something that was not even on my mind. I got an opportunity to dub movies for a channel, but because of some problems with the quality, I dropped it. Again, the opportunity came from the same area, and that too was turned down because it was a collective action. I was thinking of working with a team that agreed with my thinking. That's how I got an opportunity to work for the Telugu film ‘Ghost’, two years ago. So after doing a couple of them, I started getting regular pictures. I was confident that I could handle six languages, including English, well. I never thought I would take up such a career. When I started doing it, I realised that I could do it with great perfection. A director's vision is in my hands. I should be able to successfully deliver it to the people of my state.

Your path to Kalki 2898 AD?

I received a surprise call from Vyjayanthi Movies, asking me to come to Hyderabad immediately. I went there in the morning, watched the movie, and by the afternoon I agreed on taking up the movie. This is what happened. I have also done more films under the banner of Vox Com. 'Ponniyin Selvan' was made by Vox Com. Ajith and Arun were in the lead. Dhanush, Karthi, and Chiranjeevi are voiced by Ajith. In 'Kalki', Sree Krishnan's character is also voiced by Ajith. Arun is the voice of Yash. Both of them are dubbing directors, and I am working as a screenwriter.

‘Kalki’ was a movie that I thought I would never do

Work for ‘Kalki’ used to happen in bits and pieces and you would never know what kind of changes would pop up. So if a notice comes from their side, we should do it quickly and send it back. 'Kalki' is the project I thought I would never do. The makers called from Hyderabad and asked me to complete the work in ten days. As the contents of such films are so confidential, the print will not be delivered to Kochi. Or at least it would be written in the presence of someone appointed by the production company. This is to ensure that no one else sees the contents of this movie. It usually takes five days to write a script. But they gave 'Kalki' ten days for writing and dubbing. With so many stars, the short span of days was a challenge. When they asked us to come to Hyderabad and do it, all three of us were surprised. It was fine because I wrote the script myself, but getting the suitable artists to dub for so many people in such a big film and getting them to Hyderabad became a problem. I told the producer Swapna Dutt over the phone that if there were only ten days left, and if everything were to happen in Hyderabad, I would have to back out. The next day there was no news. We also thought that they would get someone else to do the film. But we got a call in the evening, that they will be sending a person with the content, saying that I could do it in Kochi. It was an advantage to be able to do things in Kochi that could not be done in Hyderabad. 'Kalki' was written in two and a half days.

How was the experience working in 'Salaar'?

The entire dialogue of 'Salaar' was rewritten four times. The shuffling happens shot by shot and not scene by scene. We just continued writing. I wrote in the studio while the dubbing was going on. Shankar sir was also there. He would speak the dialogue as per the script and I would sit down and write.

Has people's attitude towards dubbed films shifted?

People's attitudes towards dubbed films have definitely changed. Several people message me in this regard. This is what I understood when I saw people coming to the theater to watch 'Ponniyin Selvan' and 'Salaar'. Whether it is a direct movie or a dubbing movie, the main thing is how the audience feels about the movie. People welcomed dubbed movies with open arms after seeing the perfection in the dubbing process.

Was cinema a passion for you from the beginning?

When I was working in Hyderabad, I rarely watched Malayalam films. Life and work were all in such a way. But I never left out movies. I have gone to the theater and watched Telugu movies without even knowing the language. Cinema has been an experience for me at every stage of my life. I am also a dubbing artist. Two films are set to release this year. Cinema has always been within me. That's why I got interested in movies. After several opportunities, I realized that I can do the things that I do now. I also have the desire to direct a film someday. I also watch movies that are opined to be very bad. At least that would help me understand what they have done wrong. All my friends ask me where have I got the patience to do all that.

How do you choose your movies?

I used to read but was very selective. I do not read every book that I get. I used to write poems from a young age and I loved such a kind of creative writing. After starting work, I started reading more books related to business and philosophy. When I started doing work related to mental health, I also started reading such books. All such information helped a lot while writing the script. Even in the case of dubbing films, how can a character who has been created in the script speak? Things like what will be his psychology will come to our mind while writing the dialogue. Psychological readings have helped in that way. And no matter what language the conversation is in, it is not enough for us to know only the words that are commonly used in that language. Reading has helped me a lot. I am still trying to improve it. After every movie, I decide which book to read. Even after Kalki, I have kept two books ready to be read.

How has OTT platforms increased the quality of dubbed movies?

If we look at the time before Covid, the director or the producer would not have thought of delivering a film in all languages. Now if a movie is given to OTT it must be done in all languages. It's a good thing to get into that one trend. Because when we write something, we all think that it should reach as many people as possible. In the last three years, there have been big differences. The reason for that is the current OTT trend.

Doing something that has not been done before, coming to a big project, and getting selected for it is definitely a great luck or blessing. It is an inspiration to make more good pictures. Many have said that a woman coming to the dubbing field is a big deal. That's a big task to take on.