Voice acting, a part of the entertainment industry, perhaps gets the least amount of recognition. Whether we are aware of it or not, the imperceptible artists are everywhere. From radio to television commercials, movie trailers, cartoon characters, audiobooks or even video games, voice actors play a vital role in breathing life to characters, making the content more accessible and entertaining to the mass.
Amid all the underestimation and roadblocks, there are a few who pursue their dream and dare to, quite literally, speak out and take voice acting as a profession.
Samir Ahsan is one of them – from an aspiring engineer to a voice artist – who has voiced Shehzade Mustafa in the super hit Turkish series “Sultan Suleyman,” dubbed in Bangla, and has successfully permeated in the hearts of the Bangladeshi audience with his amazing vocal presence of the character.
Dhaka Tribune's Showtime has recently got in touch with the actor to discuss his work, passion and motivation, among other things.
When and how did you start your career as a voice artist?
I have been involved with theatre since I was in school. After I enrolled in Notre Dame College, I continued my work with the college drama troupe. Then I went to university and continued acting with the troupe there.
The first time I auditioned as a voice artist was for an animation project titled “The (Almost) Dauntless Adventures of Tuki and Jha,” based on the work of Muhammad Zafar Iqbal. But unfortunately the authority called off the whole project after a few days.
Later, the plan to dub the Turkish TV series “Sutan Suleyman” came up and Deepto TV took the opportunity to air it. The channel called for an audition, which had a thousand applicants. But finally, I, along with eight other artists with a background in acting, got selected for the project and that's how my journey with “Sultan Suleyman” began.Voice acting is quite off-stream as a profession, both in national and international contexts. So, what motivated you to take it up as a career?
Well, I have a degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. Many of my relatives and neighbours frequently ask me about my profession, to which I answer by saying “I am an actor.” The answer is always followed by the question, “What else do you do aside from acting?”
The scenario is nonetheless common everywhere. People do not take acting as a serious profession, hence my career as a voice artist raises many eyebrows.
But the thing is, no engineering job will ever give me the pleasure and recognition I have received from “Sultan Suleyman.”
For the last three years, I got numerous phone calls and messages from strangers, who do not know me but know Mustafa whom I voiced, and have expressed their admiration for my work. This is the kind of satisfaction I seek.
Engineering may shower me with a lot of money but it will never be able to give me the satisfaction and sense of purpose I get from being a voice artist.Speaking of Shehzade Mustafa, it has been a long time since we have had a foreign TV character in Bangladesh, who mattered so much, that people cried after his demise in the show. You are the voice behind such a character, as in audience got to know him through your voice. How do you feel about that?
In a traditional sense, the voice of a king or prince, for that matter, is perceived as a low pitched and dominating one. The first thing I did with Mustafa was to bring him outside the stereotypical image of a prince.
I had to face a few obstacles to do so, but I finally convinced them (channel’s management team) that the wonderful brother, husband and person Mustafa is, we should portray him as a soft-hearted character and a low pitched voice is no way to represent his personality.
After the death of Mustafa in the series, I got a phone call from a family who were avid aficionados of the character. They told me that they could not even have dinner the night he died. They were so upset with his death that they even refused to watch the series further.
What amazed me the most is that I had reached to three generations with my voice: the girl who called me, her mother and even her grandmother. They all were emotionally invested with the character and there is no other feeling in the world that could be paralleled to this.What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a few ideas of my own, which I am unable to disclose right now. But, since I consider myself as a storyteller, whatever I do, I will keep telling stories. That's for sure.
