Shah Rukh Khan. Man deserves props for making ‘I love you K-K-K-Kiran’ from Darr go viral in 1993, long before the internet. SRK is the king of charm, the poster boy of romance. Even with eyes closed, we know it’s him. He’s been narrator in Shaurya (2008), Kismat Konnection (2008), and The Zoya Factor (2019). He’s narrated the 2011 documentary Mughal-E-Azam, and 2020 miniseries The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye. We’ll hear him soon in the Hindi version of The Lion King.

Rani Mukerji. Ghulam (1998), Mukerji’s breakout film, doesn’t even feature her own voice. Director Vikram Bhatt got it dubbed because he wanted a higher pitch than her gravelly bass. But as the sassy Tina in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and Saathiya (2002), the voice is all her own. She even voiced the cartoons in Hum Tum (2004), and was the narrator in Black (2005). Imagine doing the voice when Amitabh Bachchan is literally in the movie.

Amitabh Bachchan. His baritone voices ads, polio-immunisation messages, caller tunes, even sound-and-light shows at national monuments. It’s the most popular voice among all the international franchises of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? or Kaun Banega Crorepati? (2000-present). He sings a bit too. Hear him in Laawaris, Silsila, and Baghban. Did you know he had an Indi-pop album in 1996? Google Eir Bir Phatte. Thank us later.

Deepika Padukone. She played both Shantipriya and Sandy in Om Shanti Om (2007), women who were generations apart. But Padukone voiced each woman differently, subtly helping us tell them apart in her debut film. She delivers lines that become instant classics. Remember “Jitna bhi try karo, kuch na kuch toh chhoteega hi. Isiliye yahin, isi pal ka maza lete hain,” in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)? Plus there’s that distinctive Bengaluru twang, which we love so much.

Kareena Kapoor Khan. She plays spoiled, entitled women so often, it’s easy to forget how much of that attitude is built largely on her annoying, impatient twang. Her own voice, calmer, smoother, shows up in ads, but just doesn’t hit the spot. And when she sings – she’s done it for Jab Nahin Aaye The Tum in Dev (2004), Aaja Ve Mahi in Fida (2004), and Pooja Ka Tashan in Tashan (2008) – she’s a whole other person.

Scarlett Johansson. She appears, only as a voice, an operating system, and still gets a man to fall in love in Her (2013). She voices Kaa, so sly and seductive, in The Jungle Book (2016). Johansson had to send a legal notice to OpenAI because their personal-assistant-bot voice sounds uncannily similar to her own. She has a bit of a singing career too, with albums featuring original work and covers. Now, that’s just showing off!

Morgan Freeman. A baritone so deep, we’re convinced that Freeman’s larynx is somewhere near his stomach. It’s the kind of measured drawl that makes anyone believe him, in hits such as The Shawshank Redemption (1994) as well as nature documentaries such as March of the Penguins (2005), Through the Wormhole (2010–2017), and Life on Our Planet (2023). Freeman even replaced Walter Cronkite as the voiceover intro to the CBS Evening News in 2010.

Antonio Banderas. No lie, it’s the Spanish accent that makes us weak for Banderas. We heard it first in The Mask of Zorro (1998). It was the only good thing about Madonna’s 1996 Evita musical (he sang and narrated), and he spoofed himself (and still kept it sexy) when voicing Puss in Boots (2004–) in the Shrek movies. It did so well, he own Puss films! Poos Eeen Boootz is adorable, even when coughing up a furball. How does he do it?

Kevin Conroy. Conroy has voiced Batman so often that if you think about Batman’s voice in your head, you’re probably hearing Conroy. It all began in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series. This led to films and even Batman video games for over three decades, until he passed in 2022. He IS vengeance. He IS the night. Batman just isn’t the same without him.

James Earl Jones. RIP to the man whose voice was so deep and atmospheric, it felt like he had an auditorium in his throat. Darth Vader sounds menacing because of him. Mufasa seems like a benevolent leader because of him too. Watch him in Coming To America. He was so much more than a talented voice.

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