Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been brought in by Disney, to lend voice for Maleficent in the Hindi version of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Rai Bachchan revealed the news herself through a teaser on social media. The teaser features her as the Disney anti-heroine, lending voice to the cult character made memorable by Angelina Jolie. The Hindi teaser, released on Wednesday night has received more than one lakh likes on Rai Bachchan’s Instagram account. With striking green eyes, a strong red pout and severe updo, Rai Bachchan looks quite convincing as Maleficent in her latest post, which has received a lot of appreciation already.
Commenting about the association with Rai Bachchan voice for the Hindi version of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Diney India’s Bikram Duggal mentioned, “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 Rai Bachchan’s persona, which is filled with elegance and poise, would be a perfect blend.”
The sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which releases on 18 October, follows few years later after the incidents of the 2014 original movie. Based on the classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, the sequel has been directed by Joachin Rønning and stars Ed Skrein, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Robert Lindsay, Harris Dickinson, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.