May 07, 2026 1:09pm IST
Sayani Gupta On Dubbing For Priyanka Chopra Jonas: ‘Her Voice Has A Lot Of Character’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Three years after the Russo brothers first introduced audiences to their glossy, fast-paced spy world, “Citadel” returns with a second season. The reunion of Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden is bolstered by the presence of Stanley Tucci. However, for the Hindi-speaking audience, there is a familiar depth to Priyanka’s character, Nadia Sinh, thanks to actor Sayani Gupta. Having previously dubbed for Chopra in the film “Bluff”, Gupta returns to the recording booth to bring a seamless vocal continuity once again.
For Sayani, the connection started with a shared vocal frequency. “Priyanka’s voice has a lot of character. You can tell it’s a confident woman with heft even if one heard her voice for the first time with eyes closed,” Sayani observes. “For audiences who know her work, they can recognize it in an instant. She also has great diction in both English and Hindi. She has a grain in her voice which is beautiful. We both have deeper timbre and texturally our voices match.”
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Despite the similarities, the task required significant vocal gymnastics. “Although mine is deeper, I have had to throw and modulate my voice to match hers as closely as possible, making it slightly less heavy than my original texture. It was a very measured play of pitch and throw,” she explains.
Dubbing is often an unsung craft, but for Sayani, it is an exercise in extreme observation. To match a performance as physical and emotive as Priyanka’s in an action-heavy series requires more than just reading lines; it requires a deep dive into the original actor’s psyche.
“When you are dubbing for another actor, you have to be true to their original pitch, modulation, and performance. You are trying to do justice, and it’s a big responsibility. I love it though. It’s very intimate because you are alone in a room trying to match every breath, every enunciation, every movement. I now know how her lips move in which emotion. You are studying the minutest nuances as you are dubbing... on the job... during the process.”
Sayani made sure to keep Priyanka in the loop about this unique collaboration. “I mentioned to her when I was dubbing for ‘Bluff’. And then ‘Citadel' S2 happened, so I messaged her about what I did and how fabulous she was in both these characters,” Sayani shares.
The transition from a single feature film like “Bluff” to a sprawling series was a significant jump in workload, yet the actor found the rhythm effortlessly. “I am thankfully quite fast, so the seven episodes went like a breeze,” she says. “‘Bluff’ was one film, but ‘Citadel’ was like three films’ length. And so much action, dialogues, drama... the whole gamut. Super fun.”
Ultimately, for Sayani, the joy of the project stems from the quality of the performance she is mirroring. “She is spectacular. So, so good! Made my job such a treat,” she concludes. “I am floored by her taut professionalism and dedication every single time. She really is special.”
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