So what if his films are not working wonders at the box office? Akshay Kumar has other things to cheer about. As global super hero films are waking up to India, the makers of the Transformers franchise have approached Akshay to dub one of the most integral characters of the film, Optimus Prime. Of course the khiladi gave the nod gladly and he will soon begin dubbing for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
A source close to the actor said, “Akshay was pleasantly surprised when he got a call from the makers. Michael Bay, the man behind the franchise, was personally interested in getting him on board. He wanted someone with a powerful and commanding voice to dub for the Hindi version and felt that Akshay was best suited for the job.”
Though there have been countless Hollywood flicks to have been dubbed in Hindi by professional dubbing artists, this is only the second time that an A-lister from Bollywood will be doing the same, after Shah Rukh Khan dubbed for The Incredibles.
Akshay, who is also a huge fan of the Transformers series, is aware of the challenges involved in dubbing for such an iconic character. But more than him, it’s his son Aarav who’s the most excited about this. The source adds, “Aarav was waiting for the film’s arrival in July but now he has decided to skip the English version and go for the Hindi one instead to hear his dad’s voice.”
As of now even though Akshay is doing double shifts for Joker and Desi Boyz, will soon be travelling to London for the shoot of Housefull 2. “But in spite of this, he has also promised Michael Bay that he will take time for the dubbing and meet his deadline.
While the English version has dubbing legend Peter Cullen add a deep raspy feel to Optimus’ character, one would like to see how the khiladi actor infuses life into the same.