The rise of digital media over the last two decades has spawned new careers and businesses. The entertainment industry is one of the primary beneficiaries of this innovative technology. From podcasting, social media, online radio, vlogs, blogs to animations, many people have made careers out of this digital revolution.
Digital media offers an opportunity for creatives across industries to thrive despite their background.
Pakistan’s Wajahat Rauf is a talented producer, screenwriter, director and musician that best demonstrates the power of digital media through his popular web-based interview series titled ‘Voice over Man’.
If you aspire to become a voice actor or artist, digital media will give you a great platform to showcase your talent. By examining how Voice over Man does it, you can glean some invaluable skills to set you on a path to success. It is an excellent springboard if you want to excel in voice work.
This guide follows 42-year-old Wajahat Rauf on his creative journey in the funny web series for inspiration. It is a learning journey that will help your career path in voice acting.
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This post has been updated in October 2021.
The Background of Voice Over Man
You have to appreciate the context within which Rauf makes the interviews to understand the popularity of Voice Over Man (VOM). Pakistan is a strictly religious country where many issues are taboo.
Some issues that would ordinarily pass for an everyday talk in Western society are restricted in Pakistan. However, the web-based interviews by Rauf cover some of these sensitive topics from self-abuse and gratification, homosexuality, extra-marital affairs, prostitution, virginity, adult films, and alcohol consumption to mention a few.
From the beginning, it was a gamble the popular entertainer took: Rauf knew it was bound to come with some backlash. The idea was to harness the power of internet technology to bridge the vast gap that exists between celebrities and their fans. Inevitably, these web interviews have helped to tackle many other taboo topics in the process.
Wajahat Rauf has been around in the Pakistani entertainment industry for a while now. Some of his productions include Lahore Se Aagey, Karachi Se Lahore and ChhalawaI. Previously he had worked as the head of AAG TV, a popular youth entertainment channel in the country.
His parody techniques, burlesque, off-color humor and hyperbole have continued to sustain his brand. Furthermore, his appearance in the interviews is hard to forget: his a Safari suit, 14th century English Ivy cap and Woody Allen-style round specs. From the dress code alone, it is obvious the topics to be covered here are not restrained by any moral code.
What is the Voice Over Man About?
The Voice Over Man (VOM) team tries to create a subculture that is deviant society’s strict views.
Everything in VOM’s interviews oozes rebellion and novelty, and it is these qualities that have continued making this one of the highlights in Pakistani’s growing entertainment industry.
In a culture where silence is pervasive on most matters, Wajahat Rauf and his team breathe freshness through this subculture. It is a conscious attempt to deconstruct this silence by addressing issues that matter to society but which no one else can address overtly.
Better still, the VOM team goes against mainstream Pakistani culture by calling it out for poor quality content, double standards, among other things. Poorly written songs, for instance, have suffered the wrath of Rauf in his interviews with guests.
It is an attempt to highlight the low standards that Pakistanis have had to accept over the years.
Structure Of Voice Over Man Interviews
A look at some of Rauf’s interviews Rauf gives more insight into the popularity of Voice over Man. The Pakistani actor brings his A-game to every discussion donning an unmistakable a French cut and dressing it up being in a Safari suit.
His most crucial asset are his vocals, natural humour and body language that seamlessly works with his parodies.
The Voice over Man is in the form of comic series of web interviews featuring some of the best-known celebrities in Pakistan.
How Did VOM Start?
It all started with an interview of film & TV actress Ayesha Khan. At this time Rauf says he was working on a script for his next movie. It was at this time that he had an idea about this fictional character Of ‘Voice Over Man’ who has done 99,000 voice overs.
The result of such output was a mechanical voice for this character even in ordinary life. For this character, the norms of society are not easy to grasp. So, he can ask any question without knowing its appropriateness. It was the character that Rauf took when he interviewed Ayesha Khan, and the idea picked up.
Rauf picks outgoing guests having a sense of humor and are okay with his no-holds-barred sessions without any preparations. The random questions mostly catch celebrities off-guard, but they address tricky subjects in society.
Examples of Issues Addressed on the VOM Show
For instance, the interviewer has a question on Pakistani film industry’s ‘most sexful director’ which is a comic play on ‘the most successful director.’ It is a question that might look playful, but a closer look shows the interviewer is making a statement on society’s perceptions of success.
Another popular question is on alcoholism; a problem ignored for a long time. Back in 2013, a report on BBC denounced a growing alcohol addiction in the predominantly Muslim country.
While alcohol consumption is illegal in the country, this has not helped prevent the population’s dip into alcoholism. Millions of people today in the country drink alcohol despite an existing ban leading to questions on the viability of the current laws.
By addressing such issues in his web interviews, Wajahat Rauf wants to unveil dark Pakistan’s ‘skeleton in the closet. It is no secret that many celebrities partake in alcohol with some having problems with alcoholism. Rauf has played voices of drunk actors with female guests, something they can’t dare do on mainstream films.
There’s also a highlight on the prejudice against women, even celebrities. For instance, a lot of focus is on female actors who drink while no one questions male celebrities who do so. The acceptance and a free pass for men is a crucial social topic in most Muslim nations: this is what the VOM team seeks to address.
The Importance of Rauf’s Show
For a long time, there was no one available to critique Pakistan media and the film industry. For now, Rauf and his VOM team have taken on this unenviable task. The interviewer will at times give an exaggerated portrayal of movie characters or even highlight some of the woeful songs lyrics presented as music.
The guests, in most cases, show their reaction to some of the weak acting and embarrassing song lyrics. One of the most notable responses from the interviews was by Pakistan’s singer Momina Mustehsan who stood up and said it was time to go home when Rauf brought up the song ChumaChuma de dey.
Some memorable Voice Over Man interviews include:
- Adeeland Elnaaz with Voice Over Man
- Asim Azhar with Voice Over Man
- Kubra Khan with Voice Over Man
- MehwishSayat with Voice Over Man
- Mahira Khan with Voice Over Man
- Yasir Hussain with Voice Over Man
- Hania Aamir with Voice Over Man
- MomimaMustehsan with Voice Over Man
- SarwatGirani
- SyraShahroz with Voice Over Man
- Hareem Farooq with Voice Over Man
- Sonia Hussain with Voice Over Man
- FaryalMehmood headline news
- Mathira Meets up with Voice Over Man
- Nausheen Shah with Voice Over Man
- Ali Rehman with Voice Over Man
Voice over man uses his acting talent to interpret celebrities and make it easier for fans to understand show biz personalities. The interviewees find themselves in unusual situations which gradually lead to humor and amazing hidden talents.
Takeaways for Voice Acting from Voice over Man
For aspiring actors, there’s a lot to learn from ‘Voice Over Man.’ some of these takeaways include:
- Leveraging digital technology: If you want to build a profile as a voice-over artist, you have to harness the power of digital media. From social media, YouTube, Vlogs, blogs to websites, there’s no reason not to share your talent. You can start with actor imitations or doing famous voices in film, cartoons and TV shows.
- Work on your voice: You have to keep practicing to do more with your voice. Voice acting is highly competitive. That’s why more people, including renowned actors, are now working in the industry. Your voice needs to stand out from the crowd to achieve. Try and practice a diverse range of voice acting lessons and exercises to refine your sound. You should also learn how to control your voice through such practices.
- Grow your network: Wajahat Rauf has worked in the entertainment industry for a long time, but it seems he keeps contacts of people he meets. This makes it easy to create web interviews using celebrities.
- Address social topics: When recording voice overs for your auditions, you can address social issues in contemporary society. People will not only listen to your voice but the message.
- Keep learning: Looking at the first episodes of Voice over Man and comparing them with later interviews, it is evident that the VOM team was on a learning curve. They made better content, expanded on the questions to ask and included funnier segments in the shows. This made it even more popular. You should learn about trends in the voice-over industry, requirements for voice actors and other such issues in the industry.
- Learn how to write/read voice over scripts: If you want to excel in voice acting, you have to learn how to write and also read voice acting scripts naturally.
Final Thoughts
When Wajahat Rauf came up with the idea of ‘Voice Over Man,’ not many people would have given the story concept any chance. However, Rauf’s persistence and resilience have seen the nascent idea become a popular web-based series. It is watched by millions of viewers on YouTube and other social media platforms.
If you want to work in the voice industry, the Pakistani director and actor is an inspiration. His resolve to succeed and use his voice to address topical issues is admirable.
Wherever you are in your voice acting career path, you should’ t look back. Keep going to make the best of your talent.
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