EXCLUSIVE | Sharad Kelkar on voicing for Wolverine in Marvel's Wastelanders: 'Getting Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat together...'

Actor Sharad Kelkar has lent his voice for the iconic character of Wolverine in Marvel’s Wastelanders on Audible. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, he spoke about his prep, adding his own touch, and his upcoming projects.

Edited excerpts from the interview

What do you want to say about your collaboration with Audible? How did you prepare for voicing Wolverine in this particular season? Did you draw inspiration from the English adaptation, or did you go for something completely different?

Working on this project has been an incredible experience. Marvel’s Wastelanders has been in the making for the last few years, with five individual titular series focusing on different characters, leading up to this final battle. Each character has a rich history filled with pain and struggles, making their team-up against the ultimate Super Villain even more exciting. Audible has created an incredible world and I’m thrilled to be a part of this high-octane action podcast.

Preparing for Wolverine meant understanding his age, his pain, and his history. He carries deep scars and experiences, which I had to bring out through my performance. As an actor, I didn’t just rely on my voice but fully embodied the character. I’m a huge fan of Wolverine, so when I got this opportunity, I was very honoured. Wolverine has a comic streak, sharp one-liners, and raw anger—he is wild, blunt, and unpredictable, which made him very interesting to voice. I made sure to add my own touch and bring my own style to him.

You have one of the best voices in the industry. How well has it suited the character you’ve voiced?

The response I got from the audience gives me the satisfaction that I have done justice to the character. Even if it didn’t suit Wolverine perfectly, I would have still done it (laughs) because it’s a dream role. Wolverine is my favourite Super Hero, and I was honoured when I got the opportunity to voice the character in this Hindi Audible Original series.

Was there any particular scene or moment in Marvel’s Wastelanders that was especially exciting or challenging for you during recording?

The action sequences were very challenging. In a studio, it’s tough to perform such intense scenes. If you look at videos of actors recording action scenes, you’ll see that they actually run, kick, and punch inside the studio. I did the same, and it was very tiring but also quite funny at times because of how physically involved I had to be.

What’s your take on the growing popularity of Marvel’s Wastelanders? What do you think makes this audio series unique compared to other Marvel stories?

The uniqueness lies in its immersive storytelling and the depth of character development. The audio format allows listeners to imagine and create their own visuals in their minds, which makes the experience even more engaging. Our goal was to create such an immersive experience for listeners.

The production quality, sound mixing, and background score are top-notch. Audible never creates a mediocre product, and that’s why this series has such a strong lineup of artists—Saif Ali Khan voicing Star-Lord, Kareena Kapoor Khan being Black Widow, Jaideep Ahlawat as Hawkeye, Ashish Vidyarthi voicing Doctor Doom, to Yashaswini Dayama being Valeria Richards. Getting so many stars together for one project might seem impossible, but Audible made it happen. The response has been overwhelming.

How has working in the audio medium influenced your perspective as an actor?

Voice acting is a learning experience. On camera, you have visual aids, sets, props, and co-actors to support your performance. But in voice acting, you just have a studio and a mic—everything depends on your imagination. If I have to show the weight of an object on screen, I can do it visually, but in audio, I have to convey it entirely through my voice. It has been a great learning process. Creating Wolverine solely through voice was unique and rewarding. It was definitely challenging but also a fun experience…to develop the voice, understand the character’s age, personality, features, and emotions, then apply the right texture and modulation to performance. It’s an incredibly enriching experience. I think every actor should do at least one or two audio series in their career, it will help them a lot.

Could you tell something about your upcoming projects?

I have some releases lined up this year, though I can’t reveal the names just yet. Two films are set to release in the second or third quarter. By the end of the year, a new series will also be out.