Mumbai “ Main Maharashtra ,” boomed actor Amitabh Bachchan’s baritone, welcoming investors to the Magnetic Maharashtra Convergence Global Summit 2018 on Sunday, as the narrator of an audiovisual presentation on the reforms undertaken by the State as well as its aspirations.
The three-minute video played right after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s introductory speech. Mr. Bachchan, who has in the past been the brand ambassador for States such as Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, spoke about Maharashtra’s history with visuals on large screens accompanying his voice. The video then showed how Maharashtra stands with its head held high today, ready to welcome new opportunities.
“I was built with the science of life and bricks. I have confronted the destruction of armies and the test of time with no fear,” the narration said. Talking about ‘Magnetic’ Maharashtra, it said, “Just like a magnet, I have attracted business, and the credit of making me magnetic goes to the possibilities that I provide to them.” The ‘voice of Maharashtra’ said the most industrialised State has made the biggest contribution to the country’s gross domestic product.
“Eighteen national highways connect me to the neighbouring States along with other parts of the country. Along with that, three international airports and seven domestic airports facilitate easy travel,” the video pointed out.
Promising that the State would provide jobs to seven crore people and create highly qualified manpower by 2020, Mr Bachchan’s voice said: “More than 6,000 of my institutions provide education to more than 16 lakh students.”
The video also outlined the State’s progressive business policies to support entrepreneurs and small businesses. “Moreover, many policies and programmes make it easy to conduct business, which has led to foreign direct investment of thousands of US dollars in 2017.”
Towards the end, the video also featured celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, Madhuri Dixit and Shankar Mahadevan.
