Cinema VinesWhen viewers watched Vismaya Mohanlal portray Meenu in Jude Anthany Joseph’s Malayalam drama “Thudakkam,” her voice blended so seamlessly with the character that many assumed it was Vismaya’s own. In reality, the voice belonged to Adithya Lakshmi, who also plays Priya, Meenu’s friend. Adithya had joined the film as an actor and never anticipated that she would end up dubbing the lead role as well.
The decision to use Adithya’s voice came at the eleventh hour. Two days before the dubbing session, she learned that she would be recording for Vismaya. Earlier, Vismaya had mentioned that she found it difficult to nail the Malayalam slang required for Meenu’s character. After a first attempt at dubbing, the team felt the slang wasn’t translating naturally. Several other voices were tried before Suchitra Mohanlal (Vismaya’s mother) suggested Adithya, citing their long‑standing family connection and her own interest in acting.
Adithya recalls, “I was initially brought into the film only as an actor, and I had dubbed my own portions. When Maya chechi tried dubbing for Meenu, they felt the Malayalam slang wasn’t coming through the way they wanted. They tried a few other voices as well, but it still wasn’t quite working. That’s when Suchi Kunjamma suggested that I give it a try. Jude chettan agreed, and I ended up dubbing for Maya chechi.” The switch meant that another dubbing artist, Mariya, had to step in for Adithya’s character, Priya.
With little time to prepare, Adithya and Vismaya had already rehearsed lines together, which helped when she stepped behind the microphone. She says, “I didn’t get much time to practise separately because everything happened at the last minute. Maya chechi would tell me during our rehearsals that my voice suited the character, but I never expected the response to be this overwhelming.” Hearing her own voice on Vismaya’s screen was initially odd. “It was a little funny at first because I was used to hearing Maya chechi’s voice when we practised. Suddenly, I was hearing my voice coming from her. But once I watched it in the film, it felt right,” she added.
Adithya was keen to ensure her voice complemented Vismaya’s performance, a concern amplified by their long‑standing friendship. “I know how much effort Maya chechi has put into this character, so I was a little nervous about whether my voice would do justice to her performance. I’m really happy that it has come together so well,” she said. The casting choice also carries a familial link: Adithya is the daughter of actor Anu Anand, who played Mohanlal’s son in the 1992 film “Soorya Gayathri.”
