Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | March 15, 2019

Pooja Kanwal is our Captain Marvel

Bollywood actor Pooja Kanwal is the Hindi voice for Brie Larson in Walt Disney Studios distributed super hero movie which was released on International Women’s Day on March 8.

The news is just out because Pooja Kanwal was under contract from the studios and she can finally speak about it.

“I have always been very interested in dubbing. I have been auditioning for them for a long time and this is the first time ever that I got selected. After the initial selection there were another three rounds of auditions before they could finally pick me up,” reveals an ecstatic Pooja who is a constant on Aaj Tak with a show where she dons different looks updating us on Hindi serials.

An Indian in Hollywood

“For me it was very interesting and exciting because as Indians we emote and react very differently as opposed to the Americans. In a way, it was a challenging assignment and I am glad that it went off well. Having said that, it was a huge learning experience for me,” says Pooja Kanwal

Surprisingly, Pooja is not big on super hero films. “I’m not too much of a super hero movie buff and I did not realise how big a project I was doing even when I was dubbing for it,” reveals Pooja Kanwalwho took two days to give Captain Marvel a desi makeover with her voice.

Explaining the methodical auditioning process Pooja Kanwal reveals that the criteria for selection was matching the voice, perfect command over the language as well as basic range of emotions. “They gave me around three different scenes; they wanted to see the graph.”

Is she going to be a part of the sequel in the future? “I really hope so. I would be a part of the sequel if there is ones,” she laughs.

Was it difficult dubbing in Hindi for a movie made in English we ask. “I’ve dubbed for a lot of my own films in the past: Punjabi, Pakistani and Hindi and it has taken me over 3-4 days. So I don’t know if 2 days is fast for dubbing for someone else,” answers Pooja Kanwal.

Brie Larson and Pooja Kanwal

We ask her if she has met Brie Larson or whether Brie has written to her after she lent her voice. Pooja Kanwal laughs negating both the questions. “It also makes me think that as an actor I never wrote to those who dubbed for me for my South films, maybe I should have written to them. Now that I’m on the other side, I know how it would have made them feel,” she laughs adding, “It would be super exciting to meet her.”

Now that she has made a dent on the international scene, Pooja Kanwal feels glad that they liked her voice and she was capable of adding to such to a big brand. “Now that my voice has been accepted, I do hope somewhere down the line they like my face as well and cast me for something else,” she laughs.

By the way, Pooja Kanwal laughs more than she speaks and before signing off she gets serious as she explains another dimension to her persona as an actor. “I’ve been hosting shows very heavily these past few years and this has helped my voice grow and also keep me fruitfully busy. I also get to meet a lot of different people. When I host a show, I go as an actor and anchor and am always giving something new to the show. Wherever I go and perform my talent is getting appreciated.”

Well, when you watch Brie Larson take on the baddies, remember it is our Pooja Kanwal who is matching wits with the Krees and Skrulls.

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