Hakuna Matata

Shreyas Talpade Says the Lion King is His Gift to Li’l Daughter Aadya. Raghuvendra Singh Chats With the Ecstatic Actor

- Raghuvendra Singh

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SEE AN ACTOR TO KNOW HOW GOOD HE IS. Talent is distinguishable even in his voice. Actor Shreyas Talpade, who did the voiceover for Timon in the Hindi version of Disney’s The Lion King, has been loved for his hilarious discourse in the film. The rendering of the iconic song Hakuna Matata, which in Swahili means ‘no trouble’ or ‘no problems’ seems to have a bearing on other areas of his life too. Golmaal Again has ratified his ease with comedy, while Setters has proved his ease in dabbling with the grey. His production house is moving on an even keel. He’s shot for Amitabh Verma’s Teen Do Paanch even as he’s doing a Marathi film… Above all, he’s enjoying playing dad to daughter Aadya and views The Lion King as a souvenir for her. Over to Shreyas Talpade…

With Golmaal Again, Setters and The Lion King and of course, my daughter Aadya… all frustration just vanished in a minute. The moment I saw Aadya everything else disappeared. She’s the highpoint of my life now

What was special about doing the voiceover for Timon in the Hindi version of The Lion King…

I was naturally excited to dub for Timon. They asked me to sing the song Hakuna Matata too. Shah Rukh and Aryan doing the film took it to another level. Disney recently sent me The Lion King goodies. When my daughter, Aadya, grows up and sees it, it will be a special moment for her. She’ll feel proud that her dad was associated with a classic like The Lion King. Above all, it’s a Hollywood venture by Jon Favreau.

You seem to be enjoying playing dad?