Akshay dubs for Transformers free of cost

Akshay Kumar reveals that his association with the Hollywood film 'Transformers' is not a business deal but more of sentimental value to make son Aarav happy, who is a big fan of the franchise. 

While it's known that Akshay Kumar will be dubbing for the Hindi version of the popular Hollywood franchise Transformers, what many might not know is that the actor is not charging a penny for his association with the film. "I am doing it absolutely free of cost", confirms Akshay. "My association with Transformers is not a business deal but more of sentimental value to make my son Aarav happy, who is a big fan the franchise". 

It was not a planned strategy but a chance encounter that won Akshay Kumar the film. In a casual conversation during the shoot of Khatron Ke Khiladi (which is produced by Viacom), Akshay got to know that the same company was marketing and distributing Transformers in India with Paramount Pictures. Purely for Aarav's love, when Akshay expressed his desire to associate with the Hollywood flick, Viacom came with the idea of using the superstar's voice for the Hindi dubbed version of the film. "But it was not merely Viacom who approved of my voiceover", reveals Akshay. "My audio sample was sent to the director of Transformers, Michael Bay and when he consented, I came on board as the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers – Dark of the Moon". 

"They did some tweaking to my original voice and added a metallic surface to it to get the robotic effect", says Akshay. With the Hindi dubbed version, Akki believes that the English film would get a wider audience. "There are many people in India who still do not understand English completely. So it is always good to have a Hindi dubbed version". 

Transformers fans have another reason to rejoice. Dark of the Moon will release in India (on June 29) before it releases overseas.