Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who surprised Rajinikanth with her performance in 'Lingaa', earned praise from popular playback singer Chinmayi who has dubbed for her in the upcoming Tamil movie.

Chinmayi, who has dubbed for the 26-year-old actress in Tamil and Telugu in the multilingual film, said it was refreshing to see the effort Sonakshi has put in, in learning the Tamil lines.

"It is her first Tamil film and her sincerity showed. She could have actually tried dubbing for herself in Tamil if not for the fact that it wouldn't have sounded like a Tamil native. If at all she does act in some urban love story she could dub for herself," Chinmayi posted on a social networking site.

A source from the film's production team had recently said, "It is Sonakshi's debut in the south and we all are quite fascinated, including Rajinikanth sir, by how she has adapted to the south movies so quickly. Even though it is a completely new language for Sonakshi, she has been pretty quick with the shooting..."

Chinmayi missed out on a chance to sing in the Rajinikanth starrer as she was travelling but director Ravikumar made sure she was part of the movie and got her to dub for Sonakshi.

"And yes after Shivaji this is the first time I didn't get to sing in a superstar film. But I definitely believe all that happens is for the very best," she told PTI.

Besides Sonakshi, the other lead actress is Anushka Shetty. The music for the film, scheduled for release in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi on December 12, is by A R Rahman.

Chinmayi, who has dubbed for actresses like Trisha ('Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa' (VTV), Samantha (Ye Maaya Chesaave (Telugu version) and Tammanah (Kandaen Kaadhalai), feels dubbing artistes do not get due recognition. Except the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh state governments, there are no awards for dubbing artistes, Chinmayi said.

She said in her posting on a social networking site that she was not a dubbing artiste "by my primary profession" and dub "for the fun of it." "A dubbing artiste does a lot of repair work for an artiste who doesn't naturally speak the language they are acting in. The next time you watch a villain or an actor whom you know to be a non-native speaker of the language, watch the lip-sync. You'll know the amount of work that dubbing artistes have been putting in to elevate the performance of the actors."

"..There have been generations of artistes who have gone unsung and have been (and continue to be) routinely underpaid for their efforts." "To be honest, until I started dubbing I didn't realize the amount of work of a dubbing artiste puts in. Especially the artistes that dub for villains. They really stretch their vocal cords to a different dimension."

"So the next time you watch a film, in addition to praising the work of your favorite actor, be it villain or a supporting actor, check the rolling credits for the dubbing artist and give them due credit. Due credit to South Indian Dubbing Union that has done a lot for the improvement of the scenario where they make sure artistes and dubbing coordinators are paid," she said.
Chinmayi is looking forward to the release of Dhanush starrer 'Anegan', which is also scheduled next month, in which she has rendered a composition scored by Harris Jayaraj.

"Roja Kadale has received some encomiums and I am grateful," she said. She also got to work in Isai' with actor/music composer S J Suryah, who, she said, was a 'revelation'. "I didn't expect to see him as a music director when I went to the studio.I like both songs that I have sung for him."

She is also awaiting the release of the Marathi superhero film 'Baji' starring Shreyas Talpade, in which she got to render a composition, next year. As for music concerts/stage shows, she said she will be singing for the 'Chennaiyil Thiruvaiyaaru' event next month.