Mumbai, Nov 17 :    Mumbai, Nov 17:  He is undoubtedly the greatest star to happen in a thousand years, the man with the Midas touch. Whether it is a small screen game show or a 70 mm mushy teenage musical, his mere presence has proved enough to set the cash registers on fire. Especially after he and popular TV game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' happened to each other, the Big B's popularity graph has hit dizzying heights. Amitabh Bachchan - the biggest brand of all time - will now extend the magic of his name to promote ICICI Ltd and its four group companies. And ICICI is hoping some of the magic rubs off on it. The financial institution, which is venturing into several areas, is clearly raising the stakes in the financial services sector. In fact, from a measly Rs 12 crore advertising budget for 1999-2000 to roping in the Big B himself as brand ambassador, ICICI has staged a neat coup of sorts. 'Bachchan's universal appeal will help us to effectively communicate our brand message - that customers will find it safer, simpler and smarter to transact with ICICI - to a very diverse customer base comprising people from all sections,' officials said. ICICI is understandably reluctant to spill the beans on how much it is shelling out to have its products endorsed by the famous baritone. However, industry sources say it could easily run into over Rs 10 crore. And with the superstar shining brighter thanks to his KBC halo, advertising circles say that will be a realistic sum. Bachchan will endorse and promote the products and services offered by ICICI and its group companies for a period of two years. This is the second occasion when Bachchan will play a brand ambassador. BPL, the consumer electronics major, had earlier signed him up for a two-year initial contract, for a consideration of Rs 6.5 crore. The investment paid off, for BPL was able to leverage his charisma to build itself into a national brand. ICICI is also counting on the messiah of the masses to hardsell its products to his faithful flock. These include its Safety Bonds, ICICI Bank's credit cards launched in January 2000 which has more than 90,000 customers already, home loans and car loans both of which have shown remarkable growth recently, insurance products - both life and general insurance policies - and ICICI's e-trading venture. At the signing ceremony, Bachchan said, 'I look forward to the challenging task of communicating a financial brand message to the ICICI group's diverse customer base of more than five million.' ICICI aims to be the country's leading financial services provider. And Bachchan's mere presence is expected to provide further impetus 'to the remarkable strides ICICI has taken in this sector in such a short time,' said Lalitha Gupte, joint managing director and COO, ICICI. During his term as the brand ambassador, Bachchan will play a key role in all major brand and product communications by ICICI, endorsing the ICICI brand through corporate and product campaigns on television, print and outdoor media. Bachchan will also participate in select events such as new product launches and customer reward programmes.