MUMBAI: In the Hindi adaptation of the animated comedy-adventure movie 'The Garfield Movie,' actor Varun Sharma provided the voice of the well-known Garfield character. Sharma begins an exciting new phase in his career as he takes the role of a character that is loved by millions of people all over the world with this endeavor. Sharma discussed his exploration of his relationship with Garfield in a conversation with the popular news portal. He also discussed the pleasures and difficulties of bringing the beloved feline to life for Hindi-speaking audiences.

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"It feels really beautiful. I feel blessed and happy. The most nascent memory that I have is of reading Garfield in newspapers. At that time, there was no internet, no digital medium, no reels or anything that we have today. So, the medium to get to know about Garfield and what was happening in his life with John and Odie was through the newspapers. Every day, I would wake up early before school, open the newspaper, and read Garfield. To this day, becoming the voice for Garfield in Hindi, in India, feels like a beautiful journey," Sharma said.

He added, "I resonate a lot with Garfield. He loves eating, sleeping, plays with a lot of people, and I love doing all of these things. He doesn't get shouted at a lot, which is an uncommon thing because I do. So, a lot of different factors. His favorite foods are Pizza and Lasagna; mine are Chole Bhature and Dal Makhani. That's where a little Indian comes in me, and that's how we're different, but otherwise, we have a lot in common."

Voicing a character as iconic as Garfield comes with its own set of challenges. As the voice behind Garfield in the Hindi adaptation of 'The Garfield Movie', Varun Sharma had to ensure that it resonated with Indian audiences.

"This was very challenging. This is my first outing to give my voice to an animated character. I'm a huge admirer of animated movies. But, as much fun and easy as it looks, it's technically challenging. I mean, you dub your films, looking at your own face and you know what you have done while you were shooting for that particular scene. I think doing it for an animation is very tough," opined Sharma.

"There's something known as Flubber; you have to finish a line in that particular thing, and you have to say it in a manner because that's not you, it's the animation. So, technically, there was a lot of new learning for me. We took a lot of time to finish the dub. We were given a timeline on which we were supposed to finish. I went overboard by 5–6 days because there was so much that we wanted to do, and we did to enhance what was there," the 'Fukrey' actor added.

Praising Hollywood actor Chris Pratt, who had voiced Garfield in the original film, Varun said, "One thing that helped me was how Chris Pratt had dubbed in English. He was so good; his emotions and everything were so beautiful to hear. So, I got an understanding of how he feels and how he reacts. He has a different equation with Odie, John, and his father. It took me a little bit of time to understand the equations. But overall, it's been a fun ride here."

He continued, "I'm very excited because I've seen the film, and it is an amazing film. It has everything; it's emotional, it's adventurous. The kids are going to love it, and so are the parents. It's not only for kids but also for all age groups. It's a cute watch. It's a feel-good film. You just smile, and obviously, there's a lot of nostalgia that's attached to it." ‘The Garfield Movie’ will hit theatres in India on May 17.

(Also read: I am not scared of getting typecast: Varun Sharma)

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Credit- India Today