Sharad Kelkar has been the voice behind many a key roles when it comes to his prowess as a voice actor. The latest in this regard is his work in animated series The Legend of Hanuman, now out with its third season. The actor recently opened up about he prepared for the rather well received role.

Sharad Kelkar reveals his inspiration behind playing Raavan in The Legend of Hanuman

Sharad Kelkar, who has voiced the role of Raavan across all three seasons of The Legend of Hanuman cited his childhood ritual of watching Ram Leela as the foundation of how he breathed life into the character at hand just with his voice. The actor particularly described the prowess with which the Ram Leela actors would have the audience in rapt attention without much technical aid - something he has always found "mesmerising".

As per an IANS report, he said, "Throughout my childhood in a small town, we saw Ram Leela happening live every year. It was a great festive environment...All the 'adhya's being played in such a tiny place without VFX or live action, with just a stage and costumes to express - it was a different feeling altogether. And that shaped my initial perception of the character of Raavan...I think my childhood played a very important role. I saw actors with big mukuts and costumes being loud enough on stage for the 5,000 people watching to be able to hear you. Your voice should reach the last row of people. All this was very attractive for me..."

Sharad Kelkar reflects on the limitations of dubbing studios

Sharad Kelkar also commented on how the primary difference between a live Ram Leela performance and a studio dubbing experience, besides the obvious live audience, is the ambience within which one taps into the character. He also shared how he has actively tried to introduce some multidimensionality to his portrayal of Raavan.

He said, "...when you dub, you don't quite have that ambience of a theatre and that kind of audience. Also, the Ravan from Ram Leela is not multidimensional, as it shows only one aspect of his story. But I have tried to bring in awe in the character of Ravan from that experience, even though my portrayal of him in the show is very different. As for the ambience, you have to believe that in a particular zone or moment when you are dubbing for the character or enacting, you have to be filled with that kind of invincibility or the ego or the power, so that you can portray it authentically." All three seasons of The Legend of Hanuman are available for streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

(with inputs from IANS)