Important to drill message in people’s minds, says voice of Covid-19 caller tune
By now, you would have heard her voice several times, cautioning you about measures to be taken to deal with Covid-19. Since March, telecom companies in India replaced caller tunes with default messages that spread awareness about the virus. And the voice that delivers the message in Hindi is of Delhiite Jasleen Bhalla.
“This is just crazy, every Indian is hearing it,” she chuckles. While recording the message, she had no idea it was to be used this way. “I thought it will be like a radio spot or something which will be used for a week or so, I didn’t know it will be used to this extent,” she says.
Bhalla first realised its reach when friends told her. “A few friends sent memes saying, ‘We know this is your voice…but ab bus bhi karo yaar’. When calling someone… you also get to hear that thing. It’s a little out-of-body experience,” says the voice-over artiste.
So how does her family, especially her husband react when they hear her voice with every call they make? Bhalla reveals, “Well my husband was pleasantly surprised in the beginning but now he’s used to it, I suppose. I guess I have trained his ears well, being an excessive talker anyway.”
While many say they’re bored with the caller tune, the 40-year-old feels it’s important as people are not taking precautions. “It was an essential step to drill it into everyone’s minds... A bitter pill does its work,” she adds.
While her voice has got the nation’s attention at the moment, what’s the one voice she loves most? “Morgan Freeman’s narration in Shawshank Redemption (1994)…was really something else. I also admire Richard Hammond (presenter of the Science of Stupid), he is very articulate and expressive,” adds Bhalla.