While cities like Los Angeles, Seoul, and Tokyo hosted exclusive premieres of the upcoming anime Solo Leveling, Crunchyroll arranged a screening in Mumbai featuring the Hindi dubbed version. The event was labelled as a special fan screening by the company.
Solo Leveling is set in a world where mysterious gates pop up, serving as portals to alternate dimensions. These gates lead to dungeons inhabited by various monsters. Certain humans have their powers awakened, enabling them to confront these creatures, earning them the title of hunters. The story revolves around Sung Jinwoo, an E-rank hunter, famously dubbed the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind. Despite his lack of prowess, he finds himself compelled to risk his life to cover his mother’s medical expenses and support his sister’s education.
Admission to the screening was free, drawing numerous anime enthusiasts to Maison PVR cinema at the Jio World Drive mall in Bandra, Mumbai on December 20. Hundreds of fans eagerly attended the event, considering it a rare opportunity — aside from the recent release of anime movies in India — to experience anime on the big screen.
The Solo Leveling Hindi dub premiere took place in Mumbai, India.
Crunchyroll is placing significant emphasis on Solo Leveling, considering it as its next major show. With the series scheduled for release on January 6, 2024, the company’s strategy of organising these premieres globally clearly shows its confidence and investment in Solo Leveling.
Even in India, where most anime fans prefer subtitles, enthusiasts still turned up to demonstrate support for an anime event. “I usually watch anime with subtitles only, but I wanted to show support for anything anime-related in India,” expressed one fan. “We should acknowledge Crunchyroll’s efforts and show the passion of Indian anime fans.” And indeed, the passion was evident. While many attendees were already familiar with the 2018 South Korean manhwa (or webtoon, as commonly known) on which Solo Leveling is based, there were also many who attended out of curiosity for this new anime.
Two episodes of Solo Leveling in Hindi dub were shown consecutively during the screenings. The screenings also included English subtitles, likely to demonstrate to fans the close alignment between the Hindi dubbed version and the original script. Impressively, the Hindi dub was quite faithful and effectively portrayed the characters. While more details about the anime cannot be shared at the moment, you can expect a review from IGN India of Solo Leveling around its release date. What can be highlighted, though, is the audience’s evident enthusiasm to watch more of the show after the screening ended.
The screening welcomed Indian actor Ali Fazal, marking his debut in voice acting by lending his voice to the character of Song Chiyul in the Hindi dub of Solo Leveling. Song Chiyul, an elderly mentor to the protagonist Sung Jinwoo, was voiced by Fazal. Additionally, key members of the main Hindi dub voice cast were also present at the event. Film critic Suchin Mehrotra hosted the event, while a post-screening Q&A session featuring Fazal was joined by film critic Anupama Chopra. “I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to provide the Hindi dub for Solo Leveling,” the actor said. “I aspire to forge deeper connections with the world of anime, particularly in the realms of artistic creation and exploration of different facets of our world.”
It’s indeed a golden age for anime in India. Hopefully, Indian cities will soon be included in the list of counterparts enjoying exclusive premieres, joined by producers from the anime industry. Solo Leveling is set to debut on Crunchyroll on January 6, 2024, featuring regional dubs in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
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Rayan Sayyed is a staff writer for IGN India with a primary focus on Asian entertainment spanning from anime, manga, games to films and dramas from the East. You can reach out to him at rayan_sayyed@ign.com, or find him on Twitter @rayanaver and Instagram @rayansayyed.
