Dubbing drubbing

Dubbing foreign films and serials into Indonesian is quite amazing. My views are little different from others recently published in The Jakarta Post's letters, including Ms. Lala (May 7, 1996), Rita (May 10, 1996) and Kamaha (May 11, 1996). Still, I personally request television stations maintain the original language.

The expressions that come from spoken words are very important to films. It is odd watching Hindi movies where, for example, Amitabh Bachchan's dubbed dialogs just bypass the ears and sometimes cease. His impressive and charming voice becomes dull and artificial. Subtitles in Indonesian are enough to understand the meaning.

I imagine Amitabh would quit making films if he heard his dubbed voice in Indonesia. Although Hindi is understood by few people in Indonesia, the originality of language and its expression can be enjoyed when delivered in the original Hindi by actors like Mithun and Govinda, and actresses like Sridevi and Madhuri.

There is no educational benefit of listening to the Hindi, it's purely entertaining. I am sure it will have more impact on the viewers. It is obvious that most Indonesians like Indian cinema and Indian songs.

Another current example of dubbing is the Wild Rose, a charming serial. It is quite unnatural in Indonesian. I admit that the timing is perfectly on the mark, but the expression is lost.

SP SINGH

Jakarta