Amitabh Bachchan will become the first celebrity voice of Amazon’s Alexa in India. Amazon has announced its partnership with Mr Bachchan on 14th September 2020 in order to create a different experience for the users. In order to speak to the actor, the users will have to say, “Alexa, Say Hello to Mr. Amitabh Bachchan” on all the devices enabled with Alexa.
Amitabh Bachchan spoke about the collaboration as, “Technology has always given me an opportunity to adapt to new forms. Be it in movies, TV shows, podcasts and now, I am excited to create this voice experience in partnership with Amazon and Alexa. With voice technology, we are building something to engage more effectively with my audience and well-wishers.”
Amitabh is the first Indian celebrity to lend his voice to Alexa but he is not the only celebrity to do so. Samuel Jackson in 2019 was the first celebrity to join Amazon with Alexa’s voice. His version is limited to the United States audience while Bachchan’s version will be limited to the Indian audience.
The users of Alexa in India can also listen to weather, jokes, shayaris, advice, motivational quotes and much more in the actor’s voice. An Amazon blog read, “The Amazon Alexa team will work closely with Bachchan to capture the iconic voice from the Shehenshah of Bollywood and deliver a unique voice experience to customers. It will include popular offerings like jokes, weather, shayaris, motivational quotes, advice, and more.”
The feature is going to be launched in 2021 and the users can hear his voice when they ask Alexa to say hello to Mr Amitabh Bachchan one the feature comes out. The official statement went as follows, “Millions of Indian customers use Alexa, the voice service which powers the Echo range of devices. Alexa is also available on the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, Fire TV Edition, the free Alexa app as well as the Amazon shopping app (Android only). In addition, several third-party devices like mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, wear.ables and smart TVs also come with Alexa built-in. Customers in India will be able to access Mr Bachchan’s iconic voice on Alexa by purchasing the Amitabh Bachchan voice experience. This feature will only be available next year.”
Puneesh Kumar, the Country Head of Alexa, Amazon India said, “Cricket and Bollywood are integral to Alexa’s unique Indian personality. Mr. Bachchan’s voice is truly memorable for any Indian who has grown-up with Bollywood. This combination delivers a perfect pitch to further delight and simplifies the lives of our customers. We are excited to see how our customers will respond when they use Alexa and hear his voice.”
