Radhika Iyengar : Voice-over artist

Name: Radhika Iyengar

Designation: Voice-over artist

Sun Sign: Aquarius, 29 January

Educational Experience
I did my B.A in sociology and psychology from Sophia College, Mumbai. Then I did a diploma course in social communication media from Sophia Polytechnic.

I've also attended acting workshops at The Lee Strasberg Acting Studio in New York, USA and TV workshops at New York University School of Continuing Education.

Professional Experience
I can call myself an all round media professional with experience in television, radio, voicing and advertising. For the TV medium, my experience has ranged from concept to anchoring.

For radio, I have designed and hosted music programs for Times FM, conducted celebrity interviews for AIR FM and hosted specials for Radio Star.

My voicing experience has included documentaries, multimedia content and ads. In advertising, my experience has been in writing and creative direction.

I have anchored a news show called Business Monitor for Nimbus telecast on DD News. I was also the concept / content consultant and anchor for The Medium, a 13-episode program on advertising and marketing for Zed TV. I've also anchored a series of fillers for Lexicon for Zed TV.

On the voicing front I have done multimedia, documentaries and ads for radio and TV. I have also lent my voice for the character of Lord Krishna's mother Devaki for Karadi Tales (in the cassette titled Birth of Krishna).

In the advertising medium I was the consultant creative director with Interact+Vision, Mumbai from November 1998 to May 1999. Prior to that I rose to become the creative controller at Trikaya Grey. I was with Grey from July 1989 to September 1998.

Career choice as a voice-over artist
Voicing is creative and I enjoy the performing and emoting aspect of it. It is my way of expressing myself as it takes you to different worlds as you use your imagination to play different characters in different situations. It also lets you be different people. And, hey, at the end of the day it is a lot of fun!!

Current voicing scenario
Currently, there is a lot of scope for voicing in India, what with so many TV channels, radio and multimedia. But the top few artists who have been around for several years are definitely in a position of strength and for them, it is financially very rewarding whereas the newer lot do have to struggle initially to get a break and may not always get the fees they ask for.

Competition faced
Oh yes, it is a very competitive field as there are many aspirants entering the field. Also top producers are usually hesitant to try out new talent as they prefer to play safe. Also clients may not always be open to new voices. So it is difficult to break into the top league. In a field like this you have to be consistently good... to ensure a regular flow of work.

Future of voicing in India
There is a lot of scope in this field as I mentioned earlier. What one needs is a certain amount of professional training, dedication, passion and great persistence.

Five years from now
Ah, five years from now? perhaps continuing to be in voicing and the world of media.

I would also love to be involved with children's works, I would love to bring out audio cassettes for kids. Hopefully I will achieve that in the near future.

Hobbies
I love reading, watching movies, plays, listening to music and travelling.

Idea of enjoyment
There's nothing like enjoying a good night's sleep, waking up late and lolling around with the papers over a cup of ginger tea.