New Delhi:

There is hardly anyone who is not excited for the release of Mufasa: The Lion King. Disney’s upcoming film, set to hit cinema screens on December 20, has already generated a lot of buzz. Mahesh Babu has lent his voice to the role of Mufasa in the Telugu version of the film. The superstar’s daughter, Sitara Ghattamaneni, has expressed her joy and pride over her father’s involvement in the project. In a video dropped by the makers on Instagram, Sitara talked about how she sees striking parallels between her father’s personality and that of Mufasa.

Sitara Ghattamaneni said, “I feel proud that my dad did the film because Mufasa is such an iconic character in The Lion King. He (Mahesh Babu) is a lot like Mufasa in real life as well. He’s loving and protective. When I heard the news, I was really proud and thrilled that he was playing Mufasa. I keep making fun of him that I worked with Disney first through Frozen,” Sitara said. FYI: Sitara voiced young Elsa in the Telugu version of Frozen 2.

Sitara Ghattamaneni also shared an anecdote about how Mahesh Babu prepared for Mufasa: The Lion King. She revealed that during preparation, her father would often practice the lines while interacting with their pet dog, Snoopy.  She shared, “He practised a lot. He is a perfect fit for this character and it’s also his first time. Every time I watch the trailer, I feel happy when he comes on screen. I can’t wait to see the full movie. He’s going to be great. In the first part, I really love where Rafiki holds up Simba. My dad used to hold Snoopy like that when he was a little baby… It’s quite funny that now he’s actually playing Mufasa”.

Directed by Barry Jenkins, Mufasa: The Lion King is the prequel of The Lion King. The upcoming project follows Mufasa’s journey – from a lost, orphaned cub to the legendary lion king we all know and love. While it draws inspiration from the classic 1994 film (which was reimagined in 2019 by Jon Favreau), this one adds a whole new layer to Mufasa’s backstory.

In the Telugu version, Mahesh Babu takes on the role of Mufasa, with Brahmanandam as Pumbaa, Ali as Timon, Satyadev as Taka and Ayyappa P Sharma as Kiros. 

For the Hindi version, the iconic Shah Rukh Khan is bringing Mufasa to life, with his son Aryan Khan voicing Simba. And don’t miss little AbRam Khan, who’s lending his voice to Mufasa as a cub. Sanjay Mishra is on Pumbaa duty, Shreyas Talpade is Timon, Makarand Deshpande is Rafiki and Meiyang Chang takes on Taka.