SRK, Arvind Swami give boost to The Lion King
Shah Rukh Khan stardom, Arvind Swami's comeback to the world of 'The Lion King' and Sunidhi Chauhan and Armaan Malik lending their musical touch to the story -- Disney India has infused several desi elements into the Hindi version of Jon Favreaus re-imagination of Disneys classic to widen its reach and box office prospects.
After 'The Incredibles' in 2004, Disney India has managed the casting coup once again by getting Shah Rukh and his son Aryan to bring to life the characters of King Mufasa and Simba respectively. The buzz has only grown stronger after the release of the trailer of the Hindi version. In the trailer, Shah Rukh is seen teaching his son Simba the meaning of being a "true king" -- something which seems to be tied up with reality as well.
The audience now wants to listen to Aryan and how he brings his own touch to the character of Simba. "'The Lion King' is a classic that epitomises Disney's prowess in bringing heartwarming stories that are timeless and transcend generations," Bikram Duggal, Head - Studio Entertainment, Disney India, said at the time of the announcement of getting SRK and Aryan on board for the project.
"Now with the re-imagined version, our aim is to reach out to a wider audience; introducing the tale about a pride of lions to a whole new generation of audiences while forging a deeper connect with existing fans," Duggal added.
Disney India has roped in Ashish Vidyarthi, Shreyas Talpade, Sanjay Mishra and Asrani for the Hindi version as well. Ashish has lent his voice to Scar, Shreyas has given voice to Timon, Sanjay to Pumbaa and Asrani to Zazu.
The film will release in India on July 19 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. In fact, Arvind Swami is back into the world of 'The Lion King,' but this time as the villainous Scar. Siddarth, who had dubbed for the lead Simba in the Tamil version over 20 years ago when the animated version released on television for Indian audiences, has lent his voice to the character for the Tamil version.