‘Cherishing the impact’ on innocent lives with ‘The Motor Mouth’

Tejal Sinha
Whether you have children of your own or your nieces and nephews’, or let’s just get more nostalgic, getting off from school and watching your favourite cartoon—Doraemon to many—was definitely a time we all miss majorly, isn’t it? Well, many would have even tried to enact or talk like Doraemon and Nobita. I’m sure every 90’s kid would relate to us when we say that, having spent hundreds of evenings watching the show, the characters now seem like a part of our family.
But what if you come across the real voice behind the Hindi voice of Doraemon? Well, we did! Today, we have Sonal Kaushal onboard, the voice artist, who began her journey with this cartoon, and since then, there’s been no looking back. Her journey as a voice artist has been no less than a fascinating exploration of diverse characters, from Doraemon to various cartoons, earning her the nickname ‘The Motor Mouth.’
“The motivation to become a voice artist stemmed from a passion for bringing characters to life and spreading joy through my work,” shares the artist, who has lent her voice to a range of programmes, including Doraemon, Chota Bheem, Bandbudh Aur Budbak, Little Singham, Power Rangers Megaforce, Super Megaforce, Malibu Rescue, and Johnny Test.
Her recent works include Netflix’ Summer in Leo, Cinderella in Once upon a crime, and Disney plus Hotstar’ Alice in Alice in Wonderland.
Dubbing, she says, is indeed a challenging process that requires precision and emotion to synchronise with the character. It demands intense concentration and creativity, so much so that in 2018, she almost lost her voice. “I had swelling in my vocal cords while I was dubbing for Johnny Test for Cartoon Network. It was a very notorious character and required a lot of shouting and screaming. It strained my vocal cords so much that the doctor warned me to not even whisper for 10 days in order to get my voice back. I was on a voice rest,” says Sonal, who initially had to face enough scepticism during a time when it wasn’t conventional, but she decided to follow her passion despite societal norms, proving that it’s a serious and fulfilling profession.
Basically, it was Doraemon— first significant project—that opened the doors to numerous opportunities for her in the world of voice acting. Doraemon is the highest-rated kids’ show with 478.5 million viewers and currently airs on Hungama and Disney channels. For her, voicing Doraemon was one of the delightful experiences that happened organically, and being part of such an iconic series brought immense joy to her.
“Recording can be isolating, spending hours in the studio. However, the solitude is a canvas where I craft characters and stories, making it a fulfilling journey,” says ‘The Motor Mouth, who has also been the voice of Hrithik Roshan as a blind voice artist in Kaabil. Another major turning point, indeed. “It was a huge turning point for the whole industry, as people got to know about our profession through the film. I also got an opportunity to meet Hrithik at his residence while he was promoting the film.”
There was also a moment when she was recording a funny scene, and on the other hand, you lost a friend. Taking us through the unfortunate incident, she further shares, “It was 2010, and I lost a friend in the Pune German bakery blast. We were all devastated back home in Delhi. I was a teenager and didn’t really understand how to handle the emotions at work. I was dubbing for Doraemon and had to laugh really loud for a scene, but I just couldn’t do it. I ultimately had to take a break and come back to perform the scene.”
Many of us are lucky to have jobs that we love. But very few are blessed enough to spread happiness among our innocent little ones. Being able to spread happiness among children through her work, she says, is a blessing, and “I cherish its impact on their innocent lives. I am fortunate, as I have the most genuine audience. Kids! They never lie; they tell you on your face if they like you or don’t. I am blessed to be able to spread happiness and bring smiles to those little cute faces.”