'Mufasa: The Lion King' director Barry Jenkins on Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Babu: 'I have watched their movies but...'

'Mufasa: The Lion King,' set to release on December 20, 2024, will feature Shah Rukh Khan, along with his children AbRam and Aryan Khan, voicing characters for the Hindi version of the film. Additionally, Mahesh Babu has lent his voice for the Telugu version.

Now, in an interview with News18, the filmmaker shared his admiration for Shah Rukh Khan’s films and the incredible talent of Indian actors and filmmakers. However, he chose not to mention specific movie titles, as he wanted to avoid the risk of mispronouncing them. Jenkins acknowledged the significant impact of Indian cinema but opted to remain cautious about pronunciation.



Barry also shared that he has not yet had the chance to interact with the Indian voice cast for Mufasa. Instead, he worked closely with the director of the regional versions of the film. He highlighted the importance of being considerate while selecting the Indian voices, as he wanted to ensure that the actors wouldn’t feel uncomfortable or question the choice of their film roles.





Jenkins also reflected on his memories of Bollywood music and cinema during the 90s, noting a distinct shift as Bollywood began to cross over internationally. He recalled watching movies from this era in theaters, appreciating the unique communal experience that Bollywood films provided. Jenkins expressed that this was something he had not encountered in Hollywood cinema, highlighting the powerful, shared connection audiences had with Bollywood films at the time. This experience influenced his own approach to filmmaking, especially in relation to musical sequences in Mufasa: The Lion King.

He further explained that while working on the musical sequences for Mufasa: The Lion King, they experimented with how the characters' movements could be choreographed. In the Brother song, where animals are seen moving in circles on a hilltop, Jenkins emphasized that although it wasn’t a traditional Bollywood-style musical number, it captured the larger, vibrant energy he has always associated with Bollywood films. This influence led to a sequence that embraced that unique dynamism, even if it wasn’t strictly a Bollywood musical moment.