Creating That “Local Connect”: The dubbing of Hollywood into Hindi

This chapter seeks to complicate both mainstream Anglo-American perspectives on dubbing as well as expand the scholarship on audiovisual translation beyond its current European emphasis by focusing on the dubbing of Hollywood films into Hindi for the vast Indian market. Since 1994, the number of Hollywood films dubbed into Hindi and released in the Indian market has been steadily increasing. Based on fieldwork in a dubbing studio in Mumbai and interviews with dubbing professionals and executives of Hollywood studios in India, this chapter disrupts nation-bounded understandings of film industries, specifically that of “Bollywood” and “Hollywood.” It challenges any simplistic notion that dubbed films are mere “translations” of the Hollywood originals, by detailing the linguistic and cultural expertise articulated and deployed by script writers, dubbing directors, and voice-artists. It also discusses the role that social media and digital platforms play in the increased visibility and viability of dubbed Hollywood films in India. What becomes apparent is that a focus on language and translation through the process of dubbing challenges conventional understandings of media industries and cultural imperialism.