An epic battle had ended millions of years ago. But the hero of the battle, a character from a distant world, was left stranded on our planet. He went into hibernation and the galaxy forgot about him… until today, when two eight-year-olds find him. Time has failed to throttle his superhero personality. Astra awakens, recuperates and joins forces with the brother-sister twins to tackle the new monsters that walk our planet.

And it helps that he’s a spitting image of a person we all know only too well. After a much-loved performance in Piku, Amitabh Bachchan takes on a new challenge –– to lend his looks and personality to the superhero Astra, the central character of Astra Force, a 52-part animated TV series from Graphic India and Disney Channel.
Graphic India’s CEO Sharad Devarajan recently worked on another animated superhero series, Chakra The Invincible, which was created with Stan Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Avengers) and it received over 30 million views globally on Rovio’s ToonsTV platform available through the Angry Birds app. His company will also launch Astra Force through a series of digital and print comic books. 

But before all that, Amitabh Bachchan tells t2 — over phone — why Astra is kick-ass!

What made you agree to be a part of the animated TV series Astra Force (set to air on Disney Channel India in 2017)?
I am in the digi world. I write a blog and I’m on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The technical aspect of what I do in the digital space is looked after by a firm called Fluence, which came up to me with a concept which was designed by Graphic India, which, in turn, is involved with animation. Graphic India was working on an animated TV series and wondered if I could be a part of that as a fantasy character. We had several discussions and went through some of the ideas and then the visuals. Finally I agreed to do it. I think it’s something that children of today’s generation will enjoy.
India hasn’t really progressed much in animation. We have countries like Japan and USA who produce wonderful models and they have become very popular. There is so much material in India that could translate into animation and be given to the rest of the world… of course, India first. Obviously a lot of thinking and research has gone into this concept.

How far will the superhero reflect your personality?

The name of the series is Astra Force and the main fantasy character… the superhero… is my image. The face is completely mine. There are two smaller kids –– a girl and a boy — who are a part of the storyline. Every time there is a need for the superhero to come in and sort out a problem, Astra arrives. The superhero looks exactly like me, with grey beard and hair. But yes, he is a superhero.

So there is something for children to learn and enjoy….

Victory of good over evil. In any kind of stringent moment in the storyline when they are in trouble and need somebody to get them out, the superhero will arrive, much like what Superman and Batman have been doing all these years.

With a hectic work schedule, what kind of involvement will you have with the series?

The creative side will have Graphic India looking into it. They have been constantly in touch with me as far as the design, look and configuration of the character is concerned. The storyline will also have Graphic India’s inputs. 

You are no stranger to superheroes. In the 1980s there was a comic book series (The Adventures of Amitabh Bachchan) with you as the central character (Supremo). Did you enjoy it back then?

I did enjoy the comic book. It was the idea of a young journalist who felt that there should be a comic book… well, almost a Superman-ish image was drawn. It sustained itself for a certain period of time before it got dissolved. I quite liked the idea. Now, of course, there is a much wiser and aged imagery that will go out to the children. Let’s hope this works. 

Who were the superheroes you enjoyed as a kid?

The obvious ones were there… Superman, Batman and then there was the Lone Ranger. I don’t know if you remember him because the Lone Ranger was much before this generation. Also, Roy Rogers. These are the comics we grew up on. So, I think, there has always been a great fascination for superheroes –– somebody who has answers to all your problems, somebody who will come and get you out of difficult situations. And children love to see this… something they cannot achieve but their superheroes can. I guess that’s the whole concept behind our stuff.

Have you ever wished for a super power?

We all wished to fly like Peter Pan and Superman and do all kinds of deeds like Spider-Man. We have lived with that (laughs).

Have you started reading to your granddaughter Aaradhya?

Not as yet. She is still at a stage when she is questioning a lot of things. But soon enough, yes. She is a great listener and listens to a lot of stories. This generation is quite different and quite fantastic. But yes, in the years to come I would love to show her the episodes of Astra.

Finally, who is your real-life superhero?

There are so many from different walks of life, from different fields. But if you ask me personally, it would be my father.

THE STORYLINE

The 52-part action-adventure series Astra Force (above) is the story of a mythical hero from a distant world, left “stranded on Earth millions of years ago after an epic space battle”. Two eight-year-olds — brother-sister twins — accidentally awaken the mythical superhero from his long hibernation. They have to teach him about our modern world and join Astra to “save the universe from a new wave of giant monsters and intergalactic threats”. That’s not enough. The little ones also have to hide the superhero from their parents and deal with Astra’s “insatiable hunger for modern desserts”. After all, he has spent what feels like an eternity in hibernation!

One of our common friends is Rajesh Kamat (CA Media), who is also on our board and is one of the investors (in Graphic India). He put us in touch with Mr Bachchan because our goal was to ignite something special, something that would take the whole country by storm. Before I met Mr Bachchan with the idea of an Indian superhero, (I felt) he’s someone who represents so much for this country; he is one of the most trusted brands and has a relationship with both parents and kids. For most of us he is a living superhero. The visuals you’ll see show the relationship of the superhero with these eight-year-old twins.
–– Sharad Devarajan, co-founder and CEO, Graphic India

Disney has always believed in bringing in stories that are relevant to kids as well as families. As an entertainer, Mr Bachchan has appealed to almost four generations of audiences. Now with this animated series, we are bringing a whole new facet to the world of local animation to engage with our fans across age groups
–– Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director, Disney India

Amitabh Bachchan is a superhero to me because.... Tell t2@abp.in