Amazon's Big Bet To Lure Indians To Alexa: Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan

Amazon.com, Inc AMZN said Monday it's adding the voice of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to its Alexa voice assistant.

What Happened: The new voice feature, available to customers in India, will roll out next year, according to the retail giant’s blog.

The Jeff Bezos-led company said Alexa offerings available in Bachchan’s voice span jokes, weather, quotes, and advice.

Alexa can be used on several Amazon devices such as Echo and Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, the company said. 

Why It Matters: The 77-years old Bachchan has played a prominent role in the Bollywood film industry for over five decades now, and his baritone voice is familiar to Indians of multiple generations.

He has also featured in advertisements for PepsiCo, Inc PEP and Mondelez International Inc MDLZ subsidiary Cadbury Ltd.

Last year, Amazon launched the voice of Samuel L. Jackson for its voice assistant. Additionally, the company also introduced a feature where voice actors narrate the works of Mark Twain, Shakespeare, as well as proverbs and fables.

Alphabet Inc GOOGL GOOG unit Google has also introduced the voice of singer John Legend for its voice assistant.

The Mountain View, California-based tech giant's Google Assistant is also available in the voice of the actress Issa Rae.

Price Action: Amazon shares closed nearly 0.4% lower at $3,102.97 on Monday and gained almost 0.2% in the after-hours session.