Vismaya’s friend on screen, her voice behind it: Adithya Lakshmi’s unusual ‘Thudakkam’ debut

When audiences watched Vismaya Mohanlal as Meenu in Jude Anthany Joseph's 'Thudakkam', her voice felt like a seamless part of the performance. It was familiar, yet not quite Vismaya's. The voice belonged to Adithya Lakshmi, who also plays Priya, Meenu's friend in the film.

Adithya had joined 'Thudakkam' as an actor. She never expected to become the voice of its protagonist too. The dubbing decision came together at the last minute, and she learnt only two days before the session that she would be dubbing for Vismaya.

Vismaya had earlier spoken about having another person dub for her because she found it difficult to get the Malayalam slang right. After Vismaya tried dubbing for Meenu, the team felt the Malayalam slang needed for the character was not translating as naturally as they wanted. A few other voices were explored before Suchitra Mohanlal suggested Adithya's name.

Adithya's family has known Mohanlal's family for years, so Suchitra was already familiar with her interest in acting. Adithya had even asked her to keep her in mind if a suitable role came up.

“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,” Adithya tells Onmanorama.

The switch meant another dubbing artist, Mariya, had to step in for Adithya's character, Priya. Adithya, meanwhile, had very little time to prepare for her new assignment. Adithya and Vismaya had already practised their lines together, which helped when she was asked to step behind the microphone. “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,” she says.

Hearing her voice on Vismaya for the first time was an unusual experience for Adithya. “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 says.

Adithya was particularly conscious of whether her voice would complement Vismaya's work. She had known her since childhood and had seen the effort that went into Meenu. “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 says.

The casting has an interesting family connection too. Adithya is the daughter of actor Anu Anand, who played Mohanlal's son in the 1992 film 'Soorya Gayathri'. More than three decades later, Anu's daughter has made her acting debut alongside Mohanlal's daughter and has also become her voice in the same film.

For Adithya, getting into cinema has been a long-held dream. Dubbing, however, was never part of the plan. “Acting has always been a huge dream for me. I never imagined that dubbing would become part of my first film, but I'm grateful that it happened this way,” she says.

Adithya studied at Kalamandalam and works as a dance teacher and Zumba instructor, but she never gave up on the idea of acting. Her first film has now given her an opportunity to do both acting and dubbing, under the Aashirvad Cinemas banner. “Maya chechi is someone I've known since childhood, and I know how much she has put into this role. So I was genuinely concerned about whether my voice would match what she had created. I'm very happy with how everything has turned out,” she says.

There was also the experience of working in a film with Mohanlal, someone she had known since she was young. Adithya says that familiarity meant she did not fully grasp his superstar status while growing up. Her parents, however, were ardent Mohanlal fans and introduced her to his films.

For Adithya, the climax and emotional scenes were the more demanding parts of the dubbing process. Her father, meanwhile, kept his advice simple. Stay punctual, treat everyone on set with respect and, above all, value other people's time. Now, after making her debut both in front of the camera and behind the microphone, Adithya is open to wherever cinema takes her next. “Whether it is acting or dubbing, I want to take up the opportunity wholeheartedly. I'm just happy that my journey in cinema has begun with 'Thudakkam',” she says.