Wanted picture with Spielberg as my fee: Jagapathi Babu

Chennai: Actor Jagapathi Babu, who lent his voice for the giant character in the dubbed Telugu version of Disney’s “The BFG”, agreed to work on the project free of cost in return for a photograph with his idol Steven Spielberg.

“When they approached me, I was asked how much I will charge. I told them I don’t want anything but a picture with Spielberg. I wanted to work in the project free of cost but the makers were considerate enough to pay,” an exhilarated Jagapathi told IANS.

His dream to get a photograph clicked with “The BFG” director Spielberg remains unfulfilled. But working on the project has been a cherished experience for him.

“It’s the first and the best opportunity to dub for someone in my career. The names associated with the project are so big; it’s a huge excitement in itself,” he said, adding that he usually doesn’t watch animation films.

“Although I’ve watched most of Spielberg’s films, I haven’t watched many animated films. I prefer reality over animation,” he explained.

In the film, which is based on Roald Dahl’s novel, Jagapathi has dubbed for the character originally voiced by Mark Rylance.

Talking about the process of dubbing, he said it came with its own set of challenges.

“When I was dubbing, there was no picture on the screen. All I could see was a circle indicating the face of the character and its lips. I did not know the story and nor did I know how my voice would sound in the final version of the film,” he said, and added that while it was challenging, the euphoria associated with all the big names on the project persuaded him to pull it off.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has lent his voice to the character in the Hindi version.

Proud to have dubbed for the same character as his Bollywood counterpart, Jagapathi feels such associations will open new avenues for animation films in India.

“Today, animation has become simpler than it was a few years ago. You need not have to go abroad scouting for talent because we have people in India,” said Jagapathi, who would love to be associated with another exciting animated project.