Ami Trivedi opens up on dubbing for Sai Pallavi’s Sita in ‘Ramayana: Part 1’, calls audition a ‘divine placement’

Ramayana: Nitesh Tiwari’s mythological epic Ramayana: Part 1 has been drawing widespread acclaim since its theatrical debut, with audiences praising every aspect of the grand spectacle. Among the elements winning hearts in the Hindi version is the voice behind Sai Pallavi’s portrayal of Sita, lent by veteran actress and voice artiste Ami Trivedi.

'Divine placement’ from the audition room

Opening up about stepping into Sai Pallavi’s shoes for the iconic role, Ami, in an interview with Varitey, shared how seamlessly things aligned right from the audition stage, even though matching the actress’s distinct screen presence carried immense responsibility.

“Auditioning for Sai Pallavi’s character seemed like a divine placement. Somehow, the voice matched on the mic. Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra said the same to me. When I saw her performance, I thought I had an added pressure of doing justice to her approach. She did it so beautifully. Her performance was effortless. Everything felt extremely beautiful. So, it was easy for me to get into her scenes. I wanted to make sure I delivered on her expectations,” Ami said.

Collaborating with Sai Pallavi

To capture every emotional nuance accurately, Ami worked closely with director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra, while also speaking directly with Sai Pallavi to understand her thought process during filming.

“The discussions pertained to sticking to the character. Again, fortunately, my voice matched Sai’s. Also, most of it was instructions from the director on how to perform the scenes. I even interacted with her and she told me what used to go on in her mind while performing scenes. That information was very helpful to me,” she explained.

Honouring the sanctity of Sita

Given the deep reverence and emotional attachment audiences hold for Sita, Ami knew she had to strike a careful balance—honoring the dignity of the character while remaining completely faithful to Sai Pallavi’s on-screen performance.

“Sita is divine and there are many sentiments involved with her. I wanted to stay true to the character. I had to stay in the outline of the portrait Sai had created. I didn’t want to go up or down on the level of my performance. I didn’t want to sound wrong while portraying the character,” she noted.

Recreating the emotional Ayodhya farewell sequence

One sequence, in particular, demanded extra precision: the poignant moment when Sita addresses the citizens of Ayodhya before departing for exile. Recalling how Nitesh Tiwari guided her through the layered emotions of the scene, Ami shared:

“There is a scene when they are leaving Ayodhya and Sita is addressing its citizens. Nitesh Tiwari was very specific about it. There are many emotions in that scene. She gets teary-eyed, but at the same time, she is a queen, a princess and a warrior. She is also very kind. Sai Pallavi portrays all those nuances in her performance. At one point, she also has a crack in her voice. I had to put that crack in the voice in my performance, too.”

For Ami, impactful dubbing relies on prioritizing the on-screen actor’s vision rather than imposing a personal interpretation. “You only need to understand your character. When I am performing as Sita, my own performance isn't important. As a dubbing artiste, it’s important that I do justice to the performance of the actor. I made sure I got into her (Sai Pallavi’s) skin. I didn’t want to have my own interpretation of the character,” she added.

‘Ramayana: Part 1’ crosses Rs 1,000 crore worldwide

Meanwhile, Ramayana: Part 1, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, and Ravie Dubey, has stormed the global box office, crossing the ₹1,000 crore mark worldwide within just eight days of its release. Announcing the milestone on Instagram, the makers shared a celebratory poster with the caption: "From Bharat to the world, the journey continues. Thank you for all the love. Yeh Ram ke yug ka aarambh hai."