The Brand of Bachchan

“Sahi Jawab!! Aur aap jeet gaye teen laakh bees hazar rupaye” –

No prizes for guessing who I am referring too. The great voice echoed on the streets of every city between 9-10 pm a couple of years ago. All sat tight in front of their TV sets just to see some ones dreams getting fulfilled and Mr. Bachchan guiding them questioning them warning them to get to that magical 1crore of rupees. What a show and what a host!!

This thin lean tall angry man of Allahabad would have never thought in his wildest that he, one day will be a house hold name and one of the biggest star and brand of this century. Even at the age of 60 he’s like the magical stone (Parash Pathar) I saw in a Bengali film where this stone turned any metal into gold.

And he really is when he proved himself once again by receiving the award for being the “Pitamaha” (God Father) of Star Plus at a Star Parivar award function, couple of years back. Amitabh Bachchan, a name, a brand that could make millions smile was not developed in a day or two; it took its time to complete a brand lifecycle from inception to growth to maturity & decline. Decline - Never!!!! But Yes it had its own share of ups & downs and I am probably try to analyse this ......

The Brand “AB” flourished in the 70’s when the Indian film industry found a new category of films – “the AB type film” - the brand builds around this category. This category was not actually different from the other type of movies, but it was more contextual. A typical “AB type film” - centered on an idea of a person who was marginalized by society, who is fighting to be legitimately accepted in the mainstream society. It was not just an angry young man but it was more on a man who’s been hurt, and is more complex than revenge. In Deewar he was humiliated, Trishul it was abandonment. Thus the stronger AB films focused more on humiliation and the resultant pain.

The society then was more, governed with legitimacy and things like “Baap daadon ki kamai” & “Khandaan ki Izzat”, abandonment & neglect were much stronger words. The political scene was also a party to it. Till end of 60’s people had hope, they still believed in principles of our great leaders and they stood for certain cherished value of the glory past, but as 70’s approached the outlook changed. This was an era of corruption. Suddenly the abandonment was not only from one’s biological parents but also from authority figure in the society at large. Suddenly we were shifting sand & AB spoke to everyone who belonged to that era, who identified with the sense of loss of parenting & authority, Remember “Inquilab”.

This was the context in which “AB type films” found mass appeal as a category. And in a decades time Amitabh Bachchan became a household name, a brand a legend. As a brand it had good brand builders like Salim – Javed to nurture it but it lacked efficient brand managers to keep it going.

The brand AB by end of the 70’s era had become so strong that it overpowered the category of “AB type” of films. The category lost value; the brand AB became overpowering and people around did not know how to nourish its set values and attributes. Instead of the performer being a part of the film, the film became a vehicle for the performer. The personality of Amitabh Bachchan became so big that it was competing with the brand AB.

As the era of 70’s got over those experiences of suffering were not relevant. Today you can be illegitimate; your father can abandon you but its okay. Legitimacy in 70’s was important because the past was important. The idea of preserving & maintaining the past was seen in words like “Baap Dadao ki kamai” “Khandan ki Izzat”. These were born out of a fear of loosing what you had and never a belief that you could build something new, because 70’s & 80’s never promised a future, an ability to create one.

Today’s values are different. The idea of marginalization will always be relevant but the elements will change with time. Anger Violence Revenge etc continues but they will be born out of different issues of marginalization. Today “Kahnadan ki Izzat” is a soft issue; it does not hold much high appeal. Similarly death is a soft consequence. The modern day outlook is “Life must go on, whatever may”.

The era of AB faced a severe threat from it own magnetism and also due to an absence of a brand manager. The producers thought themselves to be self-appointed franchisee and brand managers. They were supposed to understand the brand; they misread and marketed as something else. They were so enamored with the ingredients of the brand that they constructed “AB type” film element by element…. one Deewar type scene, one Sholay type scene. And what they portrayed was “Amitabh Bachchan” who was so aware of being “AB”. Films like “Mard” “Coolie” “Shahensha” “Toofan” & “Jadugar” did not work. They had the elements but no emotional quality.

So to understand “AB” then you had to understand the evolution of films where the brand can fit with the evolution. The personality of Vijay, the raving crusader avenging his abandonment will not find following in today’s market. The “Vijay” of yester years evolved into “Rahul” of today.

The mythical concept is “Rahul” who wants to blend tradition with modernity. He is relaxed & fun loving. He stands for someone naughty, wild & very comfortable. But AB as Vijay is restless. You might transact with him but you never wanted to get too close to him – he was dangerous & intense. But Rahul is cool. That is why today’s youth like SRK and not Big B. The icons of modern day individualization were Cola, IT, fitness & the complete man who wanted to “Kuch pana hai Kuch Kar dikhana hai”. Not one who battled a ghost from the past like “Mera Baap Chor Hai”

What ever may, joining politics, break from film, failure of ABCL did not make him loose his fan following. Critics wrote him off and industry condemned him of his debts. He rose from the dead to recreate his magnetism on screen with KBC and when Mr. Bachchan seemed to be stumbling on to a newfound context and category. The new generation of young directors understood the core value of this brand and positioned him in character roles that were enhancing his core value. The magnetism and screen presence was enhanced through KBC; his negative roles in films like “Aks” “Aankhee” to “Kantee”; to a stern man of ego in films like “Mohabaatien” & “K3G found an all new AB. He is the epicenter of Indian movies then and I guess will remain there for ages to come. A true “Pitamaha” of the glam world who still believes he has yet to learn form the new generation. The greatness of this man is never ending and I guess it’s never gonna be final….

Wishing him A Very Happy Birthday and Tons of Sucess in the coming Years!!!

- Arghaya Palit (On 62nd Birthday of Mr Bachchan)