Amitabh Bachchan to voice superhero cartoon character

Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan, loved by millions of fans around the world, will start production on a 52-episode animated series, “Astra Force.” The series created by Mr. Bachchan and Graphic India, CEO, Sharad Devarajan is slated to air on Disney Channel India in 2017.

"I am truly excited to be collaborating with my friends Sharad Devarajan at Graphic India and Sidharth Roy Kapur at Disney to launch this exciting new superhero series, ‘Astra Force,’" said Amitabh Bachchan. "In the same way animation from other markets has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, it’s now India’s time to create new heroes and animated shows to spark the imaginations of children all across the world."

Asked if he was offered any superhero role in his younger days, Bachchan said: “No... But I imagine all Indian heroes are superheroes. They take care of a lot of things. They get the most beautiful women, fight 50 to 60 villains at the same time and jump off skyscrapers without a scratch... what more do you want?”

Astra the superhero sports a similar beard as Big B’s real avatar. “Astra is of my age, so the look on the face is the look that I have right now except that I’ll be given some superpowers. There are two younger kids… a girl and a boy. They are part of the story,” he said.

A funny and fast-paced, action-adventure series, filled with laughs and thrills, “Astra Force” tells the story of a mythical hero from a distant world, who was stranded on Earth millions of years ago after an epic space battle. Amitabh added, “There will be a villain. That’s part of the creativity. We will be creating stories... animation is a lengthy process. We need that time and when it starts, hopefully you will be inspired by it.”

The story revolves around 8-year old brother and sister twins accidentally awaken the mythical superhero from his long hibernation, they must teach him about our modern world and join Astra to save the universe from a new wave of giant monsters and intergalactic threats. If monsters weren’t enough, Astra’s new young friends also have to hide the superhero from their parents and deal with Astra’s insatiable hunger for modern desserts after an eternity spent in hibernation.

“At Disney, we believe in showcasing great stories with compelling characters that are loved by our audiences. It is imperative to get the local texture right for any story to resonate and emotionally connect with the viewers. With Mr. Bachchan associating with Graphics India and Disney Channel India on ‘Astra Force,’ we will be bringing an interesting facet to storytelling in the local animation space,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, Disney India.

In addition to the partnership with Disney Channel India, Graphic India will also be launching the character in a series of digital and print comic books available through a special Facebook comic app through Mr. Bachchan’s large social media following.