Hero on a wrong side Sharad Kelkar on voicing Ravana in "Ramayana"

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) Actor and voice artist Sharad Kelkar said while dubbing for Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari's "Ramayana" he thought of the character as a hero who has taken the wrong path rather than portraying him as a conventional villain.

    Kelkar is known for his voice work for several actors from the South Indian film industry, including Prabhas in "Baahubali: The Beginning" and "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion".

    "In such films, you have to think that he is a hero on the wrong side, so you've to think and act or dub accordingly. Yash has done the same," he said.

    Kelkar said he agreed to be part of the film because of his admiration for Tiwari and his interest in the character of Ravana.

    "Ramayana is a historical story, it's our story, it's a story of our country. I'm a huge fan of Nitesh Tiwari and last year I met him at the Diwali party and I told him that, 'I want to work with you'. I'm not ashamed to ask for a job," he said.

    Kelkar also praised Yash, describing him as a brilliant performer who is "selective and different."

    Asked about becoming the go-to voice artist for the South Indian film industry, Kelkar said he only takes up projects where he feels his contribution can enhance the original performance.

    "When I feel that the actor has done a very good job, put a lot of effort, maybe with my 1 percent work, it gets enhanced or better, then I do the film. Otherwise, I don't do it. I do very few films," he added.

    "Ramayana", a cinematic adaptation of one of India's most revered epics, is produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash's Monster Mind Creations.

    Featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, the film has already crossed the Rs 1,000 crore-milestone at the global box office.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)