Big B scores over Morgan Freeman

Big B does it again! If Amitabh Bachchan hasn't already become a global name, he's now gone a step further. Having been pitted against Hollywood star Morgan Freeman, Bachchan has emerged victorious. And the Bachchan baritone's magic has again cast a spell on foreign shores.

Bachchan has lent his famous voice for the 2006 Oscar-winning film Penguins, A Love Story (internationally known as March of the Penguins) for narration in Hindi and English.

But the interesting thing is that when the producers and director Luc Jacquet wanted to release a collector's DVD pack in all the versions including French and English, they faced a huge dilemma. Since they had two versions in English — one narrated by Morgan Freeman for the US release and the second by Bachchan for the worldwide release — they didn't know which one to select.

A panel of film buffs and critics were asked to see both and choose the better one. And Big B was selected over Freeman. According to Luc Jacquet, Big B's narration was seen as more emotional and endearing. "We found Bachchan is more emotionally nuanced and also the language is internationally more acceptable. He has really caught the sensitivity of the story," said Luc.

Sunil Doshi, the man responsible for bringing the film to India, said, "The film is all about survival and emerging a winner. A strong metaphor. Right from Bachchan to a common man — it has a universal appeal and Bachchan has got that emotion right. He cuts across all ages right from six to 60. There couldn't have been a better narrator."