The era of hearing Amitabh Bachchan＊s serious tone warning you about cyber crime before every phone call has officially come to an end, and the internet has thoughts. The government-led campaign behind the PSA has wrapped up, meaning the viral caller tune that haunted everyone＊s dialling moments is gone as of June 26.
Yes, that＊s right. The iconic ※Saavdhan rahein, satark rahein＃§ voice note that practically became a background score to Indian life is no more. The awareness initiative, while noble in its intent, was often met with more groans than gratitude. Social media was flooded with memes, complaints, and rants about the tune, some even claiming it delayed emergency calls and caused legit panic.
And of course, where there is a viral moment, trolls are not far behind. Many netizens unfairly directed their irritation at the voice behind the message, none other than Bollywood＊s Shahenshah himself, Amitabh Bachchan. Some X users (formerly Twitter) had the audacity to ask him to stop talking on phone calls, as if he was personally calling everyone in India with cyber tips.
But Big B, being the legend that he is, shut the haters down with calm sass. Responding to one cheeky comment telling him to stop speaking on calls, Bachchan clarified the obvious, he did it because the government asked him to. Simple. Savage. Sorted.
Now that the campaign is officially over, the government has decided to retire the PSA caller tune altogether. Cue collective sighs of relief from across the country.
Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan is back to doing what he does best, acting in massive projects. He will next appear in Section 84, alongside Nimrat Kaur and Diana Penty, and is set to return for the sequels of both Brahmastra and Kalki 2898 AD. So, while his voice may be off your phone, he is far from done ruling your screens.
So long, cyber crime PSA. You were informative, but also＃ a lot.