Loki premieres Wednesday on Disney+ Hotstar, but it won’t be available in all four languages — English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu — as initially promised. The Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions of Loki have been indefinitely delayed, Gadgets 360 has been told. Disney+ Hotstar didn’t provide any reasons as to the delay, and simply said that Loki will release “soon” in Tamil and Telugu. If I had to guess, it likely has to do with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. India is slowly emerging out of a pseudo-nationwide lockdown that had shut film productions in most states. That makes it challenging to record voice talent and the post-production work needed to edit that into Loki episodes.
The ongoing pandemic has interrupted movie and series localisation globally, delaying the release of certain titles in select markets. Funimation, which dubs and distributes Japanese anime in the US, had to delay several productions when the world first went into lockdown last year until it was able to figure out work-from-home solutions for its voice talent. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt interactive special, Kimmy vs. The Reverend, was delayed in many markets including India because Netflix had challenges in putting together its localised versions on time. Disney+ Hotstar has seemingly run into similar issues with Loki.
Review: Loki Is a Time-Hopping Marvel Adventure Through the End of Worlds
Led by Tom Hiddleston’s god of mischief Loki, the new Marvel series also stars Owen Wilson as Time Variance Authority (TVA) analyst Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as TVA Judge Ravonna Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as TVA Hunter B-15, Sasha Lane as TVA Hunter C-20, Eugene Cordero as TVA desk jockey Casey, and Tara Strong as the voice of TVA mascot Miss Minutes. There are undisclosed roles for Sophia Di Martino (Flowers), Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), and Erika Coleman (Twisted Mines). Michael Waldron (Rick and Morty) is the creator and head writer on Loki, with Kate Herron (Sex Education) directing all six episodes. Hiddleston, Waldron, and Herron are also executive producers alongside Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Stephen Broussard.
Loki release date and time in India
Loki premieres June 9 at 12:30pm IST on Disney+ Hotstar. In India, for now, Loki is available in English (via Disney+ Hotstar Premium) and Hindi (via Disney+ Hotstar VIP). When Loki does arrive in Tamil and Telugu, you will need a Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscription that costs Rs. 399 a year. If you are subscribed to Disney+ Hotstar Premium — it costs Rs. 299 a month or Rs. 1,499 a year — you have access to all benefits under Disney+ Hotstar VIP.
