The government has decided to discontinue the cyber crime awareness caller tune featuring Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, sources told NDTV. The recorded message, which played every time a phone call was initiated, was part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about the rising threat of cyber fraud. However, starting Thursday, the tune will no longer be heard as the campaign has officially ended.

This decision follows growing public criticism that the caller tune was disruptive, especially during emergencies, when it delayed immediate call connections. Emergency service users and the general public had raised concerns about the inconvenience caused by the mandatory message.

The campaign’s most prominent voice,Amitabh Bachchan, recently became the target of online trolling. On social media, users mocked the actor for his repeated appearance in government-issued messages. In response to a sarcastic comment about his voice on the phone, Bachchan pointed out that he was only following government instructions, writing: “Sarkar ko bolo bhai, unhone jo kaha humne kar diya (Tell the government, I did what they told me to do).”

One user went further, making an ageist remark, saying, “Buddha sathiya gaya (He has gone senile).” Bachchan replied with dignity, saying, “Ek din bhagwan na karein who jaldi aaye, ap bhi sathiya jaayenge. Parantu humarein yaha kahawat hai - jo satha, who patha (God forbid it comes soon – you too will grow old. But we have a saying – the older, the wiser).”

This isn't the first time the actor has faced backlash over a public service message. A similar controversy arose during the COVID-19 pandemic when his voice was used for a caller tune advising precautions. A PIL was even filed in Delhi High Court requesting his removal from the message after he and his family tested positive for the virus.