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NEW DELHI: Video streaming platforms are upping the dubbing game for films that have been released in theatres, with Netflix taking the lead in reaching out to a wider audience through the move.
While Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi released only in Hindi in cinemas, it is available in English as well as the four southern languages on Netflix. SonyLIV, meanwhile, has dubbed a smaller Marathi film Chumbak in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu on the platform. Netflix also plans to make RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli, available in foreign languages like Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. The trend builds on the success of Korean film Parasite that is streaming in Hindi on Amazon Prime Video.
Media experts said this is part of the platforms' strategy to deepen penetration in India and follows the same model as that of Hollywood studios which had first started localising American films for Indian audiences.
“Netflix has always believed that great stories can come from anywhere and be loved everywhere. And dubbing plays a big role in making that possible. Dubbing is a work of art and our goal with dubbing is to tell stories in a way that stays true to the creative intent; and to take those stories to audiences around the world without losing that intent," said a spokesperson for the platform that dubs and subtitles content in up to 37 languages. “As with all things at Netflix, we are constantly trying to get better with the hope that more and more of our series and films reach new audiences in India and around the globe."
Gautam Jain, partner at media consulting firm Ormax, said a film being dubbed in multiple languages for its digital release after being showcased in cinemas is a recent trend, but there have been direct-to-digital releases like Jai Bhim, Soorarai Pottru and Jagame Thandhiram which have been dubbed in multiple languages including Hindi. “Most big-ticket films from the southern languages are getting dubbed in other languages, especially Hindi, to widen the reach of these films amongst a platform's subscribers. Not all viewers are comfortable watching films with subtitles so dubbing in native languages helps a platform in taking the same content to a wider set of audiences, especially for films which have received audience likeability," Jain said.
Media and entertainment industry experts said the focus on dubbing films on platforms once they are off cinemas screens comes from the success of web originals and direct-to-digital movies across geographies, especially during the pandemic. For example, Hindi-language films and series such as Haseen Dillruba, Ajeeb Daastaans, She and Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives (portions of the last mentioned were in English too) were also dubbed in Tamil and Telugu by Netflix.
Tamil film Jagame Thandhiram was subtitled and dubbed in multiple Indian and other languages, including English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, enabling wider access for members around the world. The Dhanush-starrer was in the Top 10 in 12 countries outside India and has been number one in seven countries, including India, Malaysia, and the UAE. For the week of December 13- 19, Sooryavanshi ranked five in the list of Netflix’s non-English films across the world, with 4 million viewing hours to its credit.
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