Amitabh Bachchan to Partner with Amazon as Alexa’s First Indian Celebrity Voice

• Amazon Alexa on Monday announced a partnership with Amitabh Bachchan to create a unique voice experience for its Indian fans.
• It will include jokes, shayaris, weather updates, motivational quotes, quick advice, and more.
• Amazon had earlier enabled actor-producer Samuel L Jackson’s voice for Alexa users in the US.
• Users can access Mr. Bachchan's voice across all Alexa-enabled devices, including Echo, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, Fire TV Edition.

Amitabh Bachchan will soon be the first-ever celebrity to lend his voice to Alexa. Amazon Alexa on Monday announced a partnership with 77-year-old Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan to create a unique voice experience for its Indian fans.

"The baritone that has enchanted the Indian film industry for over five decades, will soon deliver a unique voice experience to the many Indian customers who use Alexa... 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," the company's blog post read.

The Amazon Alexa team will work closely with Bachchan to capture his voice and deliver a new voice experience to customers. It will include jokes, shayaris, weather updates, motivational quotes, quick advice, and more.

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Amazon said one can invoke the conversation between Alexa and Amitabh Bachchan and make the celebrity talk to you by saying "Hey Alexa, Say hello to Amitabh Bachchan" into any Alexa-enabled device.

Talking on the issue, Mr. Bachchan said, "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,” Mr. Bachchan added.

While Bachchan is the first celebrity voice from India to Alexa, but he isn’t the first one globally. Amazon had earlier enabled actor-producer Samuel L Jackson’s voice for Alexa users in the US.

Amazon's announcement suggests the Bachchan Alexa skill will be limited to India, and the initial demo suggests he will speak in Hindi. It's unclear if Bachchan will also speak in English.

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Amazon India's Alexa leader Puneesh Kumar said, “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.”

Users can access Mr. Bachchan's voice across all Alexa-enabled devices, including Echo, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, Fire TV Edition, the free Alexa app on mobiles, as well as the Amazon shopping app (on Android devices only).

In addition, it is also available in several third-party devices like mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, wearables, and smart TVs that come with Alexa built-in.

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