Thursday, December 08, 2005

Big B-Branded!

Last 2 weeks atleast 50% of the time on the Indian News channels has been dedicated to Big B's illness and of course all the mania associated with it...people worshipping and doing all kinds of rituals for him...etc etc!

Well, I dont have an opinion on whether this kind of adulation is right or wrong-nor am I Big B's biggest fan, but yes I have begun to admire the man over the past few years simply for the personna he has created for himself.

However thinking about it, do beleive that if anyone deserves this kind of adulation(if at all!!), then well probably Big B may be close on the list...

Which got me thinking on why is it that Big B really has become SUCH a big name in India--I mean he is being literally worshipped!!!(in an era where sons dont even care for their own parents!)...to me the answer is not soo much his acting or his Hero antics on screen as his "almost hero like" image off screen as well!!..

Here is a man who plays hero to millions of fans on screen, who idolise him as being the perfect son, father, lover, husband..man of principles...blah, blah and well he has successfully managed to pull off the same image for himself alive off screen as well....Kudos!

Its amazing how over a career running thru decades..there has hardly ever been anything negative written about Big B as a person...no pub brawls, no hunting episodes or mistreating girlfriends etc etc....

To me Big B is probabably one of the best examples of a great brand. Any brand typically goes through three basic phases in its lifecycle:-
1) Initiation
2) Growth (includes Peak)
3) Decline

Although Big B's initiation into this industry was not an easy one--he reached growth with zanjeer , which of course was the beginning of the growth phase for him. Clearly one of the reasons for the stupendous success of the angry young man "Brand" was that it actually mirrored the reality of the society in terms of unemployment, poverty and frustation amongst the youth.

However this was followed by a natural decline with films like Jaadugar making it clear that it was time to exit...!

And yet Big B is still there...why?..well coz the only way to give a second life to a brand is to rebrand it!...create a new brand and KBC did just that for him!...(although it was tried earlier too with music vidoes like Abby baby which failed miserably)...

Fact is there are very few brands in the world which have gone thru successful rebranding and emerged as winners both times and Big B is clearly one of them..a classic example of growth yet again!

Well either ways..for the sake of all his fans and for all the timeless entertainment he has provided us.....hope we continue to see him on screen for a long time!

10 Comments:

At 10:31 AM, Blogger Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said...

As a kid, I was a big fan of BigB....I neva missed a single movie of his, anytime it used to come on the cable TV...

Then I realised he is everywhere...movies, now in KBC...and afta that he is selling toothpastes, agarbattis and wht not...

Now, not a fan...but I like to see him working at this age, giving competition to young actors. Thts wht puts BigB in a seperate class in itself. I believe, no one can match wht he is right now...

And yes..I hope he recovers back pretty soon. Saw on lot of News Channels last weekend when I Was at home.

Greetz!!

 
At 12:03 PM, Blogger 4wD said...

I hate most things hindi films now. But when it comes to amitabh, i still am an unabashed fan.

like most people.

I even admit his son is a looker and a decent actor.

Big b, for some reason, is the idol of a whole generation...

by the way, did you watch the KBC(dwiteeeya) with the lady who was asked whether Amar Singh had twins. she said to the B ``woh to aap ko zyada pata hona chahiya''. Big B just gave an uncomfortable smile.

heh heh .

 
At 9:19 PM, Blogger Ekta said...

Hey 4wd..missed that one...heheh...can almost imagine the look on Big B's face...but saw this promo of this episode where he calls someone as a "phone a friend" and that lady tells him "not to disturb" her ...heh!--Imagine Big B calling u and u telling him "call later-Do not disturb now!"-Sacrilege!

 
At 12:16 PM, Blogger QuaTros said...

Well Ekta, what I admire about the Big B most is the fact that he is able to give ANY product that he endorses a certain amount of elan, be it 'chyavanprash' or pain balm! :-)

 
At 1:07 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Ekta,

Agree with u. I have respect for Amithab for what he had gone thru and for his perseverance.
But now i cant help getting annoyed like hell when i see him everywhere in ads from toothpaste to chyavanprash to suitings to pen..
It is oky to use the brand value, but to over use it will ultimately kill the value and also will disinterest people. I wonder how this has not happened till now in his case.
The same goes for Sharukh, Tendulkar etc. Why cant they use some other gorgeous models for these ads. It is so boring & annoying to see these faces again & again. Or is there is a sudden shortage of good models in India ??? ;-)

Murali

 
At 9:08 PM, Blogger Ekta said...

Hey Quatros,
Completely agree--its just different with AB endorsing any product...something about his personna!

Murali:-I guess, thats the something in AB...that although he is doing some really crappy ads for even crappier products...guess his image does not go down...if not up either..guess some people are just born with an amazing personality and an even better aura!

 
At 11:21 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

well i do have heard abt big B.....ma frens were talking abt indian channel last friday...and i was looking fool..yaaeeejj from their conversation i got to know that big star of indian cinema is in hospital or like that
i wish for his fast recovery in health

byeee ekta
take care

 
At 12:27 PM, Blogger bloggerhead said...

ya it kind of sucks. anyway thanks for your posts. hope yu have a happy december in hong kong. i am sure it will be fun when you have someone you love by yur side.. sheesh... that sounds corny as hell. so anyway here's to go weather and nostalgia ...

 
At 7:02 PM, Blogger Ekta said...

Nitikia:- hey ur right, he's probably the biggest film star in India and well he's recovering thankfully

Bloggerhead:-Yeah..its COLD and totally Xmassy here and thnakfully hubby dear is planning to take off for 10 days during Xmas--so yes hope for good times ahead!:-)

Thank you for ur wishes and merry xmas to all you guys as well!

 
At 12:35 AM, Blogger Jackal said...

was agr8 fan too when in school..used to walk miles just to see his movie..old or new......though now for some reason his movies don evke the same kind of excitment......
..dont u feel he is over selling his brand.....to much exposure cud lead to not so pleasant outcomes......wish him a seepdy recovery........tcc byee

 

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