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Nithya Subramanian

New Delhi , Dec. 27

FILM star Amitabh Bachchan and master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar are amongst the most popular brand ambassadors. But now, their distinct voices are being mimicked in radio commercials for products and services that they do not endorse.

The baritone voice of the Big B is being replicated in advertisements for State Bank of India. Property developer in the Northern region, Gaur Green, has also been using similar sounding voices of the movie icon as well as the cricketer for its upcoming residential complex.

While other current popular films stars are being used, voices of yesteryear actors like evergreen hero, Dev Anand, Rajkumar, popular villain Ajit and so on are also being used.

In fact, an ad by Spice Telecom also used a mimicked voice-over of ex-Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee to deliver its point `take your time'.

Companies that have signed on big stars after paying up huge endorsement fees are worried about this trend of using mimicking artists for voice-overs of celebrities. "It will hurt the brand as competitors can take advantage of the medium, which is a voice medium. Also, it is unethical," said an official of such a company.

It's clean AIR: According to Prasar Bharati officials, All India Radio (AIR) adopts a conservative strategy and does not accept advertisements that mimic other celebrities. "The AIR advertisement code does not allow mimicry. In fact, consent from the original voice is essential before airing such commercials," said sources.

Meanwhile, officials in the private FM radio companies maintained, "The advertisers normally do not use the name of the celebrity. Therefore, if the picture of the person gets created in the mind of the listener due to the distinct voice, then that is beauty of the medium. Care is taken by the advertiser to follow rules."

So is this strategy lack of creativity or merely an attempt to ride on the popularity of well-known names?

Mr Ajit Varghese, Chief Operating Officer, Madison Media Infinity, said, "Creative ads normally do not take the mimicry route, but are insight-led. This is an easy way for brands to catch the attention of people."

Meanwhile, picking up popular dialogues from blockbuster films such as Sholay, Mughal-E-Azaam and so on and converting them into ads has been going on for a long time now. For instance, there is one spot where Basanti (the lady who rides a tonga) wants to dance in front of Gabbar Singh because `Naachoongi Veeru, Disco Nights jo hai' or another one that talks about seat belts and says `Aadmi paanch, aur seat-belt chaar?'

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