Behind Pushpa’s Voice: Shreyas Talpade’s Unique Dubbing Journey for Allu Arjun

From Cotton in His Mouth to Perfecting Swag: Bollywood Star’s Tale of Dedication

After the blockbuster success of Pushpa: The Rise, its sequel, Pushpa 2: The Rule, stormed into theaters on December 5, 2024. Interestingly, the Hindi voice behind Allu Arjun’s iconic character was none other than Bollywood actor Shreyas Talpade. In a recent interview, Talpade revealed quirky and dedicated efforts that went into his dubbing process, including stuffing cotton in his mouth to match the character’s distinctive habits.

Sharing his experience with ETimes, Talpade expressed pride in contributing to Sukumar’s much-anticipated film. Recalling challenges, he explained how Pushpa’s character, often seen chewing tobacco or smoking, required him to mimic those nuances by keeping cotton in his mouth during recording sessions. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted.

Remarkably, Talpade has never met Allu Arjun, nor spoken to him directly. Reflecting on this, he said, “I haven’t heard his feedback yet, but during the first film, he praised my work publicly. I hope he feels the same this time.” Despite feeling nervous due to heightened expectations after Pushpa: The Rise, he stayed focused on delivering his best.

Talpade further shared that he dedicated 14 sessions of two hours each to ensure his voice matched Pushpa’s personality and swag. Even when dissatisfied, he reworked scenes to perfection, emphasizing, “I didn’t want to compromise.” His meticulous approach paid off, as the audience’s reaction has already made the effort worthwhile.

The Golmaal Returns actor candidly acknowledged the pressure of meeting fan expectations while embracing the challenge with grit and determination. For him, the journey wasn’t just about dubbing—it was about becoming Pushpa in voice and essence.