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Cashing in on the comeback

Surajeet Das Gupta

It was a test run that was too successful for its own good. Last Saturday Star TV's blockbuster quiz show, Best of Kaun Banega Crorepati, was back on air and viewers were for the first time invited to join the fun. The response was overwhelming and result was mayhem. In a few minutes, 450,000 viewers from across the country had punched the answers into their mobile phones and crashed the system.

The response marked a remarkable comeback for a programme that had been off the air for eight months. And it was an even more triumphant return to the small screen for anchor-superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Two years ago, Amitabh practically rewrote television history. Now it appeared that he hadn't lost the magic touch.

These shows being aired, which are re-runs, are teasers. If the re-runs draw mass audiences Star TV is getting its cameras ready to shoot another 85 episodes with Amitabh as the quizmaster in the hotseat.

The initial audience enthusiasm seems to point in one direction. Amitabh is still the hottest and most bankable Indian entertainment icon. As he approaches his 60th birthday next month - an age when most thespians are lucky to get cameo parts - he is once again on a roll and probably earning as much, or more, than he did in his youthful heyday.

The Big B is now working flat out on a raft of new projects that range from a multi-lingual international film, brand endorsements, and a foray into publishing. Later this month, Bachchan will join the ranks of international superstars like Elizabeth Taylor and launch his own perfume brand under the name Amitabh-B. The glitzy launches will take place in Mumbai and Dubai. Manufactured by well-known French perfume specialist Robertet, the product is targeted at Amitabh fans around the world.

That's not all. Bachchan's managers are also talking to at least two more global lifestyle brands that are poised to enter India. Negotiations are also on both with producers in Europe and Hollywood for Bachchan to act in a multi-lingual blockbuster.

Says Sunil Doshi, CEO, Alliance Media and Entertainment, the company that manages Bachchan's endorsements: "We want to reinforce his image of being a global brand and also as the most saleable face of India. He has about a dozen odd endorsement offers."

Don't think for a moment that Bachchan is staying away from the silver screen. He has signed a string of films and has more work than younger stars like Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. One estimate is that he has already signed up around a dozen films, which will be starting production in the next two years.

The Bachchans aren't missing any opportunity to cash in on the star's comeback. They've also floated Saraswati Creations, a publishing house that will release a coffee table book on the star's 60th birthday. The book, 'To Be or Not to Be', has been written by wife Jaya and will be priced at Rs 2,950. The company will print 7,500 copies initially and it is hoping for a quick sell-out.

It is an amazing line-up for a man who had his back to the wall and was in a financial mess only a few years ago. His company AB Corp (formerly known as ABCL) was on the brink of bankruptcy and the creditors were banging at the door.

Some analysts reckon that ABCL lost over Rs 7 crore (Rs 70 million) when it rashly decided to organise the ill-fated Miss World pageant. If that wasn't enough, movies produced under the banner bombed at the box office.

As a consequence, one creditor - Canara Bank - moved the courts in 1999 to have Amitabh's home in Juhu attached. Doordarshan was also standing in line and asking for its money. AB Corp was also forced to sell its Big B music label after its losses mounted. Forced into a corner the company was declared sick.

But KBC changed all that. Bachchan and Star Television bounced back in an amazing fashion. KBC picked up twice as many viewers as the Indian team's cricket matches. Bachchan hiked his rates for the programme and advertisers and movie producers lined up to sign up the man who was once again the country's hottest icon.

The fresh infusions of cash have helped Bachchan back from the brink. AB Corp has already paid Rs 20 crore owed to Doordarshan and Rs 5 crore to Canara Bank. Says politician-businessman Amar Singh, who is also a director in AB Corp and a close friend: "He has paid back more than 95 per cent of the loans of AB Corp. And the ones that remain are disputed."

There are even bigger plans for the future. Says Amar Singh: "Once the company has a clean slate we will look at taking it public and take up various activities."

How much is Bachchan the Golden Oldie making? It is necessary to talk to a range of analysts both in the film industry and the advertising business to get an accurate estimate. It is reckoned that he makes anywhere between Rs 30 crore (rs 300 million) and Rs 35 crore (Rs 350 million) annually through films, endorsements and TV.

In the movie industry the belief is that he charges between Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 15 million) per film, which isn't the highest in the industry. But producers have a touching faith in his ability to deliver box-office hits.

In fact, trade experts now argue that an older star is necessary to make a film click. Says Amod Mehra, film trade analyst: "Today film makers and producers have realised that just making a film with young stars is not enough. You need to add value with some older stars who command great market value like Amitabh." Adds film personality and chairman, Reliance Entertainment, Amit Khanna: "He is a substantial add-on in a film today, which also has the younger popular heroes. This formula, producers believe, ensures success."

Nevertheless, most analysts agree that Bachchan's future as a brand is closely linked to the fate of KBC. Says Bates India, vice president Shovon Chowdhury: "After all most of his endorsements were signed riding on the success of KBC."

But will the re-launched KBC repeat the old magic? Media planners are not sure. Gopinath Menon, a Delhi-based media planner, believes that cricket is a better bargain this season.

Even Star TV is aware that fewer people will switch on this time around. "Sure, we can't reach the magic TRP ratings as earlier. Our whole attempt through the re-launch is to increase the gap between us and the competition for the leadership slot," says a Star TV spokesperson.

The game is even more complicated in the film business. In the last two years Bachchan has only had two big hits. And film industry analysts estimate that producers have sunk over Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) on the last five films starring the Big B. Only one out of the five was a blockbuster.

Khanna believes that Bachchan shouldn't be blamed entirely for the flops. "He has been a bad judge of the films he has acted in and has signed on a host of them, which might stem from his basic insecurity after the AB Corp debacle." Komal Nahata, a leading trade analyst, echoes a similar view: "I think he has stopped choosing the films he does and just takes what he gets. That has been the cause of the various flops. He is desperate to be around."

Also, he isn't the hero any longer. Says Taran Adarsh, editor, Trade Guide: "Films today are not made with him in mind. Bachchan only plays a strong character role but others are the heroes and heroines. So you should blame them."

The critics will be silenced if the Rs 32 crore (Rs 320 million) blockbuster Kaante succeeds at the box office. And corporates and movie producers are closely watching whether he can repeat his magic on the idiot box with the re-launched KBC once again. The Big B is back in the limelight but the giant question is whether the cameras will stay focused on an ageing superstar who is about to light a birthday cake with 60 candles.

Brand Bachchan

Does Bachchan really pull in customers? The advertisers believe that he does and they are putting down hard cash to back their beliefs. The superstar gets anywhere between Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) and Rs 3 crore (Rs 30 million) for a one-year endorsement. That's more than anyone except Sachin Tendulkar (who is said to charge between Rs 2.5 crore (RS 25 million) and Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million).

Says Suhel Seth, CEO, Equus Red Bull: "Bachchan is a powerful icon who appeals to a broad spectrum of the population. He straddles all income groups. Only Tendulkar is in the same class." Adds Vibha Rishi, executive director, Pepsico India: "He combines the solidity and dependability of Sachin with the bubbliness and irreverence of Shah Rukh Khan."

The result of this faith is that Bachchan is endorsing everything from Parker pens to Pepsi and the Maruti Versa. He's even signed on for a stint behind the wheel on an Escorts Tractor. Why is Escorts putting its faith in star appeal?

It wants to boost sales in eastern Uttar Pradesh and is hoping that farmers will remember that Amitabh was born in the region. "We found that Bachchan has a strong equity in this region, because it is where he was born," says Sanjit Padhi, head, marketing and sales in the company's agricultural machinery group.

Certainly, Bachchan is believed to have boosted the sales of Parker pens. Pen maker Luxor, which has a tie-up with Parker, believes that Bachchan's presence has pushed the company's market share from 9 per cent before the campaign to 12 per cent now. Says D K Jain, chairman, Luxor Writing Instruments Ltd: "We were looking at a person who would be equal to the brand personality of Parker. Big B fitted the bill."

However, advertisers differ about whether a Bachchan endorsement helps to boost sales. Says Preet Bedi, president and CEO, TBWA-Anthem: "He is becoming too over-exposed as an endorser and is losing his mystique. The incremental benefit to the advertiser is becoming lower and lower."

One company that has discovered that Bachchan isn't a sure-fire bet is Maruti. Amitabh and son Abhishek were hired for the blockbuster Versa campaign but their combined efforts didn't work. Says Michael Menezes, chairman, Showtime Events: "The Maruti Versa example clearly shows that a brand ambassador can only do that much. The product has to deliver on its own first."

But marketing-led companies like PepsiCo, which targets youngsters, believe that Big B appeals to its target audience. Says Rishi: "It is a myth that youngsters want to see only youngsters as the role models. Youngsters who did not grow up with him now see his films so often on TV channels. And KBC as well as KBC junior helped him to reach out to teenagers."

(With inputs from Anusha Subramaniam)

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