Aladdin: Venkatesh, Varun Tej dub for Telugu version of live-action remake starring Will Smith

Venkatesh and Varun Tej have lent their voices to Genie and Aladdin respectively in the Telugu version of Disney’s live-action remake , according to Times of India .   Will Smith plays the blue-toned djinn who lives in a magic lamp while Mena Massoud portrays the titular character. Naomi Scott appears as Princess Jasmine and Marwan Kenzari as the villanous Jafar .

Aladdin has been directed by Guy Ritchie, known for films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as well as RocknRolla. From the looks of the several promotional material released by the makers, the upcoming film will be a dazzling visual extravaganza with larger-than-life musical numbers and twirling magic carpets.

Smith’s look as the blue Genie, originally played by Robin Williams in 1992, has received significant backlash  on social media. Some compared it to the Smurfs and mocked his high ponytail to Ariana Grande’s.

Venkatesh and Varun Tej were recently seen in the comedy F2 alongside Tamannaah, Mehreen and Rajendra Prasad. Directed by  Anil Ravipudi , it revolved around the problems that arise in a marriage. The film was a hit among the audience and critics, earning more than Rs 100 crore at the box office .

Marvel previously got  Rana Daggubati  to bring Thanos to life in the Telugu version of  Avengers: Infinity War.  Similarly in 2016, Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, Nana Patekar, late Om Puri, and Shefali Shah were roped in by Disney to dub The Jungle Book in 2016.

Aladdin will be released on 24 May.