Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to lend voice to the Hindi version of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Global icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to be a part of the enchanting Disney Universe. The actress has been signed on to lend her mellifluous voice to the central character Maleficent in the Hindi version of the much-awaited Hollywood film Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. In the original version, Angelina Jolie has given her voice the character.

Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by Joachim Rønning, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a sequel to the 2014 film Maleficent. After impressing audiences with her performance in Maleficent, Angelina Jolie returns to reprise her character in the second instalment as well.

“Looking at how Angelina Jolie fits Maleficent’s role down to the letter, it was hard to imagine anyone else essaying the character other than Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for our local audience. We wanted to build a strong connect and bring her character to life in Hindi and felt Aishwarya’s persona which is filled with elegance and poise would be a perfect blend,” said Bikram Duggal, Head – Studio Entertainment, Disney India.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is poised for its theatrical release on 18th October in India. It will be hitting Indian screens in English and Hindi.

Talking about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s other projects, the actress has confirmed reteaming with celebrated filmmaker Mani Ratnam for a film called Ponniyin Selvan. Besides her, the period film also features Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Keerthy Suresh, Amala Paul and Jyothika, among others. Buzz also has it that megastar Amitabh Bachchan may also play an important role in the film.

Set to be shot on a huge scale, Ponniyin Selvan is expected to go before cameras in November. It will be made in Tamil and Telugu. The movie marks Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s reunion with Mani Ratnam after a huge gap of 9 years. The duo last worked together on Raavan (2010) which also featured the actress’ husband Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role.