Putting words into action, the RNIB then agreed to sponsor audio description in Hindi for the DVD release of the big Bollywood film Veer, starring Salman Khan. Their deadline was pretty tight – just two weeks – but well aware of our AD expertise, they came to us for help.

Due to their epic scale and their mix of music and drama, Bollywood films are a unique challenge for audio describers. Delivering AD in Hindi was an extra twist. But working closely with the RNIB’s international development officer we created a perfect tailor-made solution

Fusing our technical and editorial expertise with the language skills of a Hindi speaker we scripted an AD track that reflected the tone and pace of the production. And thanks to the skill and dedication of both teams we completed the job within the deadline.

Veer became the first Bollywood DVD to be audio described in Hindi. Released to great acclaim in April 2010 it has paved the way for similar DVD projects in the future. And in the broadcast world, the same possibilities apply. We’ve since successfully produced an English audio description track for a Bollywood film shown on Channel 4.