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Lookism explores school bullying, body-shaming, self-esteem, and society’s perception of us v/s our perception of self, through the eyes of its protagonist - a vertically challenged and meek boy Park Hyung-seok and his “two versions”.
Actors playing a double role is no new feat, but very rarely do actors play two different versions of the same character. However, talented Indian voice actors Sanket Mhatre and Rajesh Kava have achieved this stellar feat beautifully.
Sanket Mhatre and Rajesh Kava have voiced the titular character of Park Hyung-seok in the Hindi version of the Korean anime series Lookism, which was released worldwide on December 8, 2022, on Netflix.
Kava portrays the older version of Park Hyung-seok who is treated badly by his schoolmates and is timid, angry, and frustrated because of this. While Mhatre plays Daniel Park aka the handsome version of Park Hyung-seok who is leading a dual life in secret.
In an exclusive interview with SK POP’s Anwaya Mane, voice actors Sanket Mhatre and Rajesh Kava dish on playing the two “versions” of Park Hyung-seok, how they played off each other, and the possibility of a season two.
Voice actors Sanket and Rajesh believe that Lookism makes you think both as an oppressed and an oppressor
Q) Congratulations on Lookism. What has the response been like for the series?
Sanket: The response has been wonderful, quite overwhelming. Rajesh and I shared a post announcing the series on our Instagram and since then we’ve received lots of messages telling us how much people are liking the show. Not only have our fans have complimented the show and its Hindi dub, but so have die-anime enthusiasts.
Rajesh: The response has been amazing from fans, especially anime fans on my social media platforms Instagram and Facebook via DMs. Anime fans especially wanted a revolution and wanted the genre to make a comeback in India and since Lookism is an established brand, I'm not surprised that it has gotten such a phenomenal response.
Q) Rajesh, for the benefit of our readers, please tell us something about yourself, your career as a voice actor so far, and whether are you a fan of Korean animes, dramas, and movies.
Rajesh: I’m a voice actor and have been dubbing for 22 years now. I have been part of several popular projects like Harry Potter, Chota Bheem, Deadpool, Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice to name a few.
As far as Korean entertainment goes, I’m proud to share with you that I have been part of the biggest Korean drama ever Squid Game. I have dubbed for Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun in the Hindi version (an Indian language) of Squid Game.
I’m happy my association with Korean content began on such a fiery note, and for that, I’m grateful to my family, fans, producers, and vendors. I request the audience to anticipate my role in the second season of Squid Game as well.
Q) Coming back to Lookism. Can you both take us through the process of bagging the role of Park Hyung-seok and how did you prepare for the character?
Sanket: For me personally, I was cast after Rajesh had already started work on the first two episodes. I believe they wanted someone to contrast his character and bring the opposite personality to it.
I think Rajesh had a lot more work than I did, his character is a lot more layered than mine. At least initially, my character is a projected hero for the show and I had to play in that zone.
Rajesh: It is one character with two different shades - big and small, right? So when I was first approached to audition for the character of Park Hyung-seok’s original version - his body language, his look, and his style reminded me of a typical naive and foolish young fellow.
I internalized those traits and projected them while auditioning for the role. It clicked and that’s how I bagged the role. I must admit that such characters are a rarity these days and I’m glad I got to play Park Hyung-seok in Lookism. As an artist, I enjoyed playing this emotionally.
Q) Lookism is adapted from the webtoon of the same name and has been previously made into a Chinese drama. Did you guys read the webtoon or watch the Chinese version to prepare for your role?
Sanket: I went through a couple of episodes of the webtoon just to get an idea of where things are going. However, I had already started work on the first episode by then based on the dubbing director's brief and inputs.
Rajesh: Oh, thank you for informing me about this. I had no idea because as voice actors we heavily rely on the scripts given to us and don’t really get the chance to do any research outside of that. So, I’m sorry, I haven’t read Lookism’s webtoon. However, now that you have informed me, I’m tempted to check it out.
Q) Very rarely do actors play different versions of the same character. Was your prep different than usual given that you were sharing this character with another actor?
Sanket: The show definitely has an interesting premise, and working on the character was equally interesting. People who’ve seen the show will know how the original character has a running inside voice.
This voice is also used when my character is on screen, so my character thinks in Rajesh’s voice and speaks in mine. This would sometimes throw me off, since the thought and my speech would often be conflicting in nature.
Rajesh: Yes, you are right. As voice actors very rarely do we get the chance to play different versions of the same character. As artists, we study our characters thoroughly, their character graph, body language, and intentions.
Sanket’s version of Park Hyung-seok is heroic, stylish, and classy, while mine is timid, frustrated, and a crier. So accordingly, we prepared our two different versions in Lookism.
Q) The series touches upon some sensitive issues like school bullying and body shaming. What was it like to prepare for a character which is so vulnerable and layered, whilst keeping the sensitivity of the character intact?
Sanket: I think all of us love a good underdog story, and Lookism delivers just that. All the while underlining important issues like bullying and body shaming, but also touching upon topics like social divide and teenage depression.
Rajesh's character suffers through most of these issues, while my character is often on the other end of this spectrum. The beauty of the show is in making you think objectively as both the oppressed and the oppressor. Thankfully, my character has the physique and personality of Park Hyung-seok’s tormentors but not their heart or conscience.
Rajesh: Unfortunately, bullying and body shaming is rampant in schools, hostels, and colleges. As voice actors, we have to be very careful with the kind of tone and language we are using. We need to showcase our dialogue delivery with the utmost sensitivity and the credit for Lookism’s Hindi dub goes to our writers and dubbing directors who wrote the script with the utmost sensitivity.
We need to double-check the language we use and hence we have extensively worked on Lookism’s dub to ensure it doesn’t sound offensive. The credit for this goes to our studio Mayukhi Studios who ensured the process was carried out smoothly.
“The beauty of the show is in making you think objectively as both the oppressed and the oppressor.”
Q) Sanket, you had previously revealed you enjoy playing antiheroes a tad bit more. However, this time you are on the other side of the fence. Was this an enriching and learning experience as an actor?
Sanket: Antiheroes are absolutely a lot of fun to portray, and Lookism has its moments where my version of Park Hyung-seok resembles an antihero, doling out some social justice.
But on the whole, he’s more like a brother to Rajesh’s version of the character. Being heroic but taking a backseat on most decisions to the timid character of Park Hyung-seok taught me a lot of restraint and patience in my dialogue delivery.
“ Being heroic but taking a backseat on most decisions to the timid character of Park Hyung-seok taught me a lot of restraint and patience in my dialogue delivery.”
Q) Rajesh, your version of Park Hyung-seok is timid as compared to the version Sanket plays. Was it a challenge to play a character who carries a huge physical as well as an emotional burden? Did you perhaps tap into your personal experiences or reservoir of emotions?
Rajesh: Yes, definitely. As mentioned previously, playing a character like the “original” version of Park Hyung-seok in Lookism is a rarity these days. Because prior to this, I have played either heroic characters, anti-heroes, or comic roles. So, after a long time, I’m getting to play such a vulnerable character.
My life experience wasn’t exactly like Park Hyung-seok, because I was always teased for being stickly, I think. But I did draw from those hurtful emotions and channeled them into my role in Lookism. I cannot thank my stars enough for this opportunity.
Q) The series finale teased a potential season two of Lookism. Should there be a second season at all, could you shed light on what Park Hyung-seok’s journey is going to be like and what can we expect from the second season?
Sanket: I’d love to see a second season. Especially to get to the bottom of the biggest mystery, how and why do two versions of our hero exist? I’m also eager to see how long Park Hyung-seok sustains his double life.
Rajesh: We cannot tell you whether there will be a second season or not as it is entirely Netflix and the studio’s call. However, if given a chance, I would love to reprise my role as Park Hyung-seok again and would love to see in which direction the character veers towards. I’m also hopeful for a second season.
Q) Any message would you like to give to fans of Lookism? And finally, are there any other Korean projects in the pipeline?
Sanket: To everyone who has already seen Lookism and messaged us, thank you so much. Your feedback and appreciation help us better ourselves with every performance.
For those who haven’t seen it yet, Please do. Lookism is a wonderfully entertaining show, with a host of unique characters and some very poignant questions at its heart. I do have an interesting Korean reality show coming up, which is quite engaging. Will post more updates once the show is out!
Rajesh: I would like to thank all the fans of Lookism for taking out time to watch our series, especially the Hindi dub. We are trying to introduce Korean anime to the Hindi-speaking market and Lookism is a wonderful series with a solid underlying message.
We are bound by contracts so I cannot reveal much in detail. However, if fans are interested in checking out my work they can watch D.P. starring Jung Hae-in, and Love and Leashes starring Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun and Lee Jun-young.
More about Lookism
Comprising eight short episodes, the series focuses on Park Hyung-seok, a vertically challenged high-school student, who is bullied and outcast by other students at school. He is bullied and harassed every day by the school’s most notorious delinquent kid.
Angry and exhausted with the constant bullying, he begs his mother for a school transfer where he begins a new life.
However, unbeknownst to him life changes in the most unexpected manner for him when he receives a second body. Unlike him, the “other” version of Park Hyung-seok is handsome, attractive, and charming which he can use once his older body goes to sleep.
Hence, his days are split between two bodies: the handsome Park Hyeong-seok during the daytime and his older version at night.
As the handsome Daniel Park, he becomes the cynosure of everyone’s eyes. He is recruited to be a model for a popular clothing brand, a K-pop idol trainee, and a social media influencer, but he also sees how the world discriminates between good-looking individuals and not-so-good-looking people.
Reportedly, a second season of the show is in the works, though there is no official announcement about it.
( Disclaimer: The interview is edited for grammar and clarity.)
