Sources suggest voiceover artiste Shashital has redubbed Marathi version of Thackeray, writer Raut claims Khedekar’s baritone to be retained in the trailer
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; January 16, 2019)

Upon its release, the trailer of Thackeray elicited strong and polarising responses — on one hand, the audience lauded leading man Nawazuddin Siddiqui for his uncanny resemblance to the late Balasaheb Thackeray.

However, cinephiles were just as vocal in pointing out that Sachin Khedekar, who dubbed for Siddiqui in the Marathi version, was no match for the late Shiv Sena supremo, who was known for his deep baritone and rousing oratory. Amid rumours suggesting that Chetan Shashital (right) is likely to redub for Thackeray’s part, mid-day has learnt that the voiceover artiste has already lent his voice to the protagonist of the Abhijit Panse-directed biopic.

A source working closely on the film reveals, “After fans expressed their displeasure with Sachin Khedekar’s voice, the makers zeroed in on Chetan Shashital. He has earlier dubbed for Balasaheb’s role in the Marathi movie, Balkadu (2015). He redubbed the entire film last week. The makers are happy with the result.”

When mid-day reached out to the film’s writer Sanjay Raut, he said, “We always had Sachin in mind because of his command over the language and his voice. Some people, who have followed Balasaheb for years, felt that the voice [used in the film] didn’t match his baritone. But it’s not possible to get the same voice. We have decided to retain Sachin’s voice for the trailer.”

When quizzed about rumours that Shashital has dubbed for the biopic that hits screens on January 25, Raut opted for a diplomatic stance: “We have three to four dubbing artistes, and have yet to finalise on the voice that will be used in the film. The decision will be taken one week before the film’s release.”

mid-day reached out to Khedekar, who remained unavailable for comment.