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The latest Amitabh blockbuster
The Bollywood icon on the perfume launched in his name
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Priya Ganapati in Mumbai
It is first day, first show of Amitabh Bachchan's latest blockbuster," declared Nafisa Joseph, to a crowd of cheering audiences composed largely of mediapersons and suit clad portly executives.
In his latest project, Amitabh Bachchan is playing hero for Lomani, the French perfume company that has launched a perfume line named after him. It is a double role: there is the Amitabh. B Pour Homme (for men) and Amitabh. B Pour Femme (for women).
For Bollywood's biggest superstar, it is just another event in his career that has spanned movies, politics, television, even a brush with the corporate world. "Lomani says they captured the essence of Amitabh Bachchan. But what is the essence is the mystery. You have to ask them about it. It's very difficult for me to talk about myself," he declares.
Lomani's representatives are more than willing to talk on Bachchan's behalf. "Amitabh. B pour homme is created for a man with his own sense of style, a man that is classic yet modern, whose simple charm and dyanmic presence is captivating," they say.
Amitabh is not so convinced. "They say the perfume represents my character, which is supposed to be mysterious. I don't believe that. But they have interacted with me. They know the way I dress, talk, behave so maybe they are right," he says.
Dressed in a white T-shirt and a black blazer, sporting two sets of wristwatches on either hand, Amitabh mixes the corporate look with a touch of Bollywood eccentricity. He is alternately charming yet slips in sarcasm when asked about how the perfumes will fare in the market. He is polite yet aloof.
“I liked the entire process of making the perfume. Initially, I thought it would be a lark. But I went to Grasse in France and saw the way the hundreds of fragrances that had gone into it. I realised the intricacies that go into creating a single bottle of perfume," he says.
Ask him for more on the experience and he clams up. Laconic to the point of being terse, Amitabh opens up only when the cameras are trained on him. Then the charisma comes to the fore.
Lights, Action, sound rolling declares the taped voiceover to add a Bollywood feel to the launch. In the next few moments the Amitabh magic has the audience enthralled.
Sliding off his chair, he turns his back on the audience to face a mirror on the stage. At nearly 6 feet, Amitabh cuts an imposing figure. He run his fingers through his hair and then, in one swift motion, turns back and stands with his feet apart. In his hand is the Amitabh. B perfume. Lights around him, Amitabh poses for the photographers and five minutes later is back to his seat.
Ask him to say a few words about the perfume and he says, "I think it smells great and I like it. I hope you are going to use this perfume and remember me. And I hope you will like it and actually buy it."
So what are his favourite perfumes? "I don't think it would be right to name those out here. I buy all the top favourite French perfumes,” he says.
Amitabh knows how to rule the audiences. Through the seventies with his portrayal of the angry young man, he starred in some of Bollywood's most successful films.
But he has also seen failure, up close and personal.
After an hiatus from Bollywood, when he made a comeback in the nineties, it seemed the audiences had outgrown him. His films failed at the box-office. Those were the days when Amitabh could do no right. His attempt to bring professionalism into the Hindi film industry, in the form of the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL) ended in bankruptcy of the company.
In the last two years, Amitabh has made a comeback again. Kaun Banega Crorepati, the game show he hosted on Star TV, changed Indian television and single-handedly put the channel way ahead of its competitors.
For a man now seemingly back in public favour, it would only seem logical to extend his aura and image. Having his own line of perfumes would be the ultimate flattery.
But perfumes are a tricky business. In India such attempts before have been disastrous. Before Amitabh, other Hindi film icons have lent their names to perfumes. Shah Rukh Khan, Zeenat Aman, Lata Mangeshkar. None of them have worked with the consumers.
Amitabh Bachchan is unfazed. "You have to keep trying. You cannot be deterred by failure. It has always been my policy and has reflected in the way I have done things through my life," he says.
Prod a little deeper and ask if he will continue his association with Lomani and he gets impatient. “If there is an opportunity then I will work with them to create more products. But let's see how this takes off," he says.
Amitabh can afford to be nonchalant about success and failure. But for those involved with creating and marketing the perfume there are the technicalities like price, strategy and marketing to take care of. "Amitabh. B is the essence for everyone and not just the elite. Having studied the Indian market for 16 years, many factors such as the consumer's buying behaviour, target audience, the name behind the brand have been considered before we arrived at a particular price," says Ramy Ghandour, managing director, Parour, the French company involved in creating the product.
The perfumes have been priced at Rs 795 for a bottle.
I have grown up in Allahabad with the smell of bela, chameli and other flowers around me. Being a perfume lover, it has always been a dream to create a perfume that will reflect my passions and learnings. This is not merely a product or a brand, it is something that is very personal to me," says Amitabh.
So what does Amitabh. B remind him of? "Me," he says and then strides of the stage to meet his adoring fans.
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