Big B government’s ‘first choice’ to replace Aamir as face of Incredible India
DELHI/MUMBAI: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism, on Thursday emerged as the Union tourism ministry’s first choice to replace Aamir Khan as the brand ambassador of Incredible India. Others under consideration are actors Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, sources said on Thursday.
The search for a new brand icon began after the tourism ministry confirmed it was not renewing its contract with the ad agency that had picked Aamir as the face of the campaign.
At the same time, sources close to Bachchan said no formal proposal had been made to the star, and suggested that the speculation regarding his acceptance of the new role may have been triggered by a tweet from an unverified twitter account that said he (Bachchan) “was willing to be the face of Incredible India”.
Bachchan’s “non-controversial image”, ministry sources said, has loaded the search in his favour, adding that his promotion of tourism in Gujarat led to an “upsurge” in the state’s popularity as a holiday destination. On the other hand, Aamir’s comment on perceived intolerance in the country during the campaigning for Bihar elections had created a huge controversy, inviting strong criticism from BJP.