Amitabh Bachchan's baritone voice centre of attraction at Wagah border

Tribune News Service

Neha Saini

Amritsar, October 11

For visitors at the Attari-Wagah border, who come to experience the high-octane Beating Retreat ceremony that has now gained international fame, the unique baritone voice of India’s most loved actor offers the first welcome. “Jai Hind. Main Amitabh Bachchan, vishva ki sabse bade seema suraksah bal BSF ki veerta, sahas aur shaurya ko salaam krta hun.” (Jai Hind. I, Amitabh Bachchan, salute the valour, courage and bravery of the world’s largest border security force, BSF).

As the megastar celebrates his 80th birthday on October 11, we share the story behind his Amritsar connect. His 10-minute voice-over narrating a brief history of India’s first line of defence, the Border Security Force, is played to a packed gallery before the start of the Beating Retreat ceremony every evening. The voice-over is received with a similar roar and appreciation as the blustering parade of the BSF jawans.

“That’s the response we had hoped to achieve,” shares MF Farooqui, the man behind the initiative, who served as the DIG, BSF, Amritsar, when the project was inaugurated.

“Before 2015, no voice-over was played before the Retreat ceremony. Back then, people did not know much about the BSF. So, it was decided that visitors have to be apprised about the India’s first line of defence, which is the Border Security Force,” he said, adding, “Under the project, this voice-over narrating the history of the BSF and the Attari-Wagah border was conceived and recorded.”

Farooqui, who is also a published poet, wrote the script in 2014, and recorded it in his voice. But later, the officials decided to rope in a celebrity for the voice-over.

“And who else could do it better than Amitabh Bachchan? He was our first and only choice,” he shared.

Farooqui also recalled his first interaction with the actor in Mumbai. “He instantly agreed to do it. He was so passionate about it. The day we met him, he scheduled the recording session for the following day. He reached the recording studio at 6 am that day. He was happy to be associated with the project. So, he did not even charge anything.”

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