Amitabh Bachchan's Cybercrime Callertune: Complaints Pour In, Government Discontinues It

From Thursday, Indian cell phone users will no longer hear the familiar cybercrime awareness ring tone sung by Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan. The Centre has officially wound up the campaign, which was to make the public aware of the growing menace of online fraud.

The campaign, as part of the larger effort to sensitise people about online financial frauds, phishing, and identity theft, had Amitabh Bachchan's voice warning individuals about exercising precautions while initiating online or telephonic conversations. For several months, the message was played automatically during call connections, reaching millions of people across the nation.

As per reports, the campaign was wrapped up as per a planned closure. A source quoted by NDTV asserted, "The campaign has ended, and hence, the caller tune will be withdrawn from today."

Though most welcomed the effort of the government, the caller tune was also criticized, particularly by users who felt that it was disruptive during emergency or urgent calls. This criticism is said to have led to the campaign's halt.

Amitabh Bachchan, who provided his voiceover for the public service announcement, reacted to online trolls with typical finesse. Last week, he shared on X (previously Twitter), "Ji haan huzoor, main bhi ek prashansak hoon. Toh??" — an oblique response to critics. When someone joked about him showing up repeatedly on calls, he shot back, "Sarkar ko bolo bhai, unhone jo kaha humne kar diya" (Tell the government, I did what they told me to).

In a reply to a bitter remark, too, he did so with dignity, "Ek din, Bhagwan naa kare voh din jaldi aaye, jab aap bhi sathiya jaaye… Jo satha, wo patha" (One day — God forbid soon — you too will grow old… The older, the wiser).

This is not the first time Amitabh Bachchan has been criticized for public service announcements. In the COVID-19 pandemic, his voice was also utilized for a government-released caller tune on coronavirus precautions, which generated controversy after he and his family were infected with the virus.

On the professional front, Amitabh Bachchan was last seen working alongside superstar Rajinikanth in the Tamil action drama Vettaiyan, directed by TJ Gnanavel.